When Haematopoiesis Goes Wrong Quiz

See Leukaemia classification. Option B gives the usual anatomical distinction between leukaemia and lymphoma. Leukaemia predominantly involves marrow and blood, while lymphoma usually forms masses in lymph nodes or other tissues. Both are malignant disorders of blood-forming or immune cells, but their distribution changes how they present. Marrow involvement can disrupt normal cell production, causing anaemia, infections or bleeding. The boundary is not absolute: lymphoma can spread to marrow and blood, and some lymphoid cancers have both leukaemic and lymphomatous forms. Location is therefore a useful starting distinction rather than an infallible rule.

A is too restrictive because leukaemia can arise in myeloid or lymphoid cell lineages, while lymphoma is a lymphoid malignancy. D confuses distribution with pace: chronic leukaemias exist, and lymphomas range from slowly growing to aggressive. E cannot separate the diseases by maturity, since chronic leukaemias may have relatively mature malignant cells and lymphomas include mature-cell and precursor forms. C mistakes consequences for causes: anaemia and platelet abnormalities may follow marrow disease, but neither defines these cancers.