Leukemia facts

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Leukemia facts

• Leukemia is a cancer of the blood cells.
  
  
  
  
• While the exact cause(s) of leukemia is not known, risk factors have been identified.
  
  
  
  
• Leukemias are grouped by how quickly the disease develops (acute or chronic) as well as by the type of blood cell that is affected (lymphocytes or myelocytes). The four main types of leukemia include acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), acute myelocytic leukemia (AML), and chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML).
  
  
  
  
• People with leukemia are at significantly increased risk for developing infections, anemia, and bleeding. Other symptoms and signs include easy bruising, weight loss, night sweats, and unexplained fevers.
  
  
  
  
• The diagnosis of leukemia is supported by findings of the medical history and examination, and examining blood and bone marrow samples under a microscope.
  
  
  
  
• Treatment of leukemia depends on the type of leukemia, certain features of the leukemia cells, the extent of the disease, and prior history of treatment, as well as the age and health of the patient.
  
  
  
  
• Most patients with leukemia are treated with chemotherapy. Some patients also may have radiation therapy and/or bone marrow transplantation.
  
  
  
  
• There is no known way to prevent leukemia.
  
  
  
  
• The prognosis of leukemia depends upon several factors, including the patient's age, the type of leukemia, and the extent to which the cancer has spread.

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What is leukemia?


Leukemia is cancer that starts in the tissue that forms blood. To understand cancer, it helps to know how normal blood cells form.
Normal Blood Cells
Most blood cells develop from cells in the bone marrow called stem cells. Bone marrow is the soft material in the center of most bones.
Stem cells mature into different kinds of blood cells. Each kind has a special job:

White blood cells help fight infection. There are several types of white blood cells.

Red blood cells carry oxygen to tissues throughout the body.

Platelets help form blood clots that ******* bleeding.
White blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets are made from stem cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old or get damaged, they die, and new cells take their place.

The picture below shows how stem cells can mature into different types of white blood cells. First, a stem cell matures into either a myeloid stem cell or a lymphoid stem cell:

• A myeloid stem cell matures into a myeloid blast. The blast can form a red blood cell, platelets, or one of several types of white blood cells.
  
  
• A lymphoid stem cell matures into a lymphoid blast. The blast can form one of several types of white blood cells, such as B cells or T cells.
  

The white blood cells that form from myeloid blasts are different from the white blood cells that form from lymphoid blasts.


Leukemia Cells
In a person with leukemia, the bone marrow makes abnormal white blood cells. The abnormal cells are leukemia cells.
Unlike normal blood cells, leukemia cells don't die when they should. They may crowd out normal white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. This makes it hard for normal blood cells to do their work.