A client newly diagnosed with leukemia is experiencing bone pain and tenderness. What is the underlying cause of these symptoms?

A) This choice is incorrect because leukemia does not result from an overproduction of platelets. Leukemia involves an overproduction of abnormal white blood cells.

B) This choice is incorrect because leukemia is not caused by the body's immune system attacking healthy white blood cells. Instead, it involves the uncontrolled growth of abnormal white blood cells.

C) This choice is correct. Leukemia is characterized by genetic mutations in the bone marrow cells, particularly in the stem cells that produce white blood cells. These mutations lead to uncontrolled growth and proliferation of abnormal white blood cells, interfering with the normal production of other blood cells.

D) This choice is incorrect because an imbalance of red blood cells would not trigger the overproduction of white blood cells. Leukemia is specifically a disorder of white blood cell proliferation.

A) This choice is incorrect because flow cytometry analysis is not primarily used to assess the client's heart function.

B) This choice is incorrect because determining the client's blood type is not the primary purpose of flow cytometry analysis in the diagnostic evaluation of leukemia.

C) This choice is correct. Flow cytometry analysis is a specialized laboratory technique used to classify the type of leukemia and its subtype based on specific cell markers present on the surface of leukemic cells. This information helps guide the appropriate treatment plan.

D) This choice is incorrect because evaluating the client's kidney function is not the primary purpose of flow cytometry analysis in the diagnostic evaluation of leukemia.