A 60-year-old woman complains of weakness and hematuria. Physical examination shows marked pallor, hepatosplenomegaly, and numerous ecchymoses of the upper and lower extremities. A CBC reveals a normocytic normochromic anemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, and a marked leukocytosis, which is composed mainly of myeloblasts. The major clinical problems associated with this patient's condition are most directly related to which of the following?
High-Yield Explanation
The presence of myeloblasts in the peripheral blood is indicative of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). In AML, there is an accumulation in the marrow of immature myeloid cells that lack the potential for fuher differentiation and maturation, which leads to suppression of normal hematopoiesis.