[Suspected leukemia: what should be done?].

Whenever leukaemia is suspected the diagnosis should be firmly established or excluded without delay. Clinical examination, blood counts (including platelet count) and a blood smear usually serve to diagnose or rule out chronic leukaemias. Bone marrow examination is necessary for the diagnosis of acute leukaemias. The value of additional tests, some of which are highly sophisticated, is not yet established. Chemotherapy of chronic leukaemias remains symptomatic. Various combinations of cytostatic drugs are used for treatment of acute leukaemias. Complete remissions are mostly achieved after transient bone marrow aplasia; this aplastic phase must be overcome by supportive measures. Although long survival is still exceptional in the adult, cure of the leukaemias appears to be theoretically possible. This view is supported by the preliminary results of bone marrow transplantation.