Tijanić Ivan¹,
Vučić Miodrag¹,
Govedarović Nenad¹,
Tijanić Miloš²,
Mačukanović-Golubović Lana¹

¹FAcULty OF MeDIcINe NIŠ, cLINIc OF HeMAtOLOgy, NIŠ, seRBIA
²FAcULty OF MeDIcINe NIŠ, cLINIc OF DeNtIstRy, NIŠ, seRBIA

Acute leukemia is a malignant disease of hematopoietic tissue, characterized by clonal proliferation and accumulation of abnormal leukemia cells in the bone marrow and by insufficient hematopoiesis. Clinical picture is characterized by the appearance of symptoms and signs arising from the insufficiency of norm.al hematopoiesis, the infiltration of tissues and organs by malignant cells and the metabolic disorders. Due to the insufficient hematopoiesis, three clinical syndromes are present: anemias, bleedings and infections. Acute leukemias occur in the conditions of perfect health and they develop very rapidly. If not treated, they have the lethal outcome in a few months at the latest. The treatment is based on modern poly-chemotherapeutic protocols, which are different for each leukemia subtype. Stomatological examination may reveal gum bleedings and infiltrations, which are among the first oral manifestations of acute leukemia. Indications may also be found for oral mucositis, which can be manifested only by erythema, or progress into ulcerations in more severe cases. Adequate oral cavity care procedure represents an obligatory and extremely important part of treating acute leukemias and it can be administered exclusively by the best-trained medical staff. There is a great number of various oral manifestations of acute leukemias, significantly impacting the quality of life of these patients, as well as the total therapeutic success in treating acute leukemias.

Key words: acute leukemia, therapy, oral manifestations