Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the body's blood-forming cells in the bone marrow and lymphatic system. It can take one of several forms and spread at different rates, but most types of leukemia disrupt the production of healthy white blood cells that are designed to multiply, fight infections, and die off. The immune system is weakened because these cells aren't functioning properly.
In general, leukemia can be divided into two categories based on how many cells are being made: monocytic leukemia and granulocytic leukemia. Monocytic leukemia involves the development of too many monocytes (a type of white blood cell). Granulocytic leukemia involves the development of too many neutrophils or granulocytes (another type of white blood cell). Lymphoblastic leukemia involves the development of too many lymphocytes (a type of immune system cell). Myeloid leukemia involves the development of too many myeloid cells (a group of cells including neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, and megakaryocytes). Leukemia can also be categorized by the type of cell that is producing it incorrectly. For example, T-cell leukemia involves the development of leukemic T cells (immune system cells that help B cells make antibodies), while B-cell leukemia involves the development of B cells that make leukemic B cells.
Leukemia is a form of cancer that develops in the blood and bone marrow as a result of the fast creation of abnormal white blood cells. These aberrant white blood cells are incapable of fighting infection and hinder the bone marrow's capacity to create red blood cells and platelets. The two main types of leukemia are acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Other types include acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which is the most common type of childhood cancer, and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), which is more common among adults.
Cells from patients with leukemia can grow in culture dishes in the laboratory. They often grow in large numbers in liquid media, which can be stored for later use if needed for tests or treatments. The leukemic cells may look similar to normal cells or they may have different shapes or sizes. Leukemia interfeits with normal blood cell production by interfering with their development. This can lead to low red blood cell levels, high white blood cell counts, or both.
Leukemia begins when the body's own immune system cells turn against themselves. In leukemia, these immune system cells develop into clones of identical cells which no longer recognize their surroundings as foreign. Thus, the body fails to control the growth of these leukemia cells.
The cause of leukemia is not known for certain but several factors have been suggested including chemicals, radiation, and viruses.
Leukemia is a type of blood cancer that is caused by an increase in the number of white blood cells in the body. White blood cells squeeze out the red blood cells and platelets that your body requires to function properly. Cancerous white blood cells don't kill bacteria or virus like normal white blood cells do; instead, they attack the body's own tissue. Leukemia is one of the most common cancers in children and adults. It can be acute or chronic. Acute leukemia means the disease develops quickly and usually does not survive longer than five years.
Chronic leukemia is more stable over time. The average life expectancy for people with chronic leukemia is about ten years after diagnosis.
People of any age can get leukemia. Children are most commonly affected - about 85% of cases occur before the age of 20. Adults can also get leukemia - around 15% of cases occur after the age of 40. Women are more likely to get leukemia than men - women make up about 9 out of 10 patients diagnosed with the disease.
The main risk factors for developing leukemia include having a family member who has the disease, being exposed to radiation, chemicals, or drugs that can cause cancer, and having genetic mutations that lead to cancer development.
Genetic mutations can be found in some people who have no known cause for their leukemia.
Leukemia is a kind of cancer that affects the white blood cells. White blood cells in your body aid in the fight against illness. Your bone marrow is where your blood cells are created. The bone marrow creates aberrant white blood cells in leukemia. These cells push out healthy blood cells, making it difficult for the blood to perform its functions. Normal red blood cells are destroyed before they can reach normal levels in the bone marrow or in the circulation. This results in decreased numbers of red blood cells and increased numbers of younger-looking white blood cells called blast cells.
The two main types of leukemia are acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Acute lymphoblastic leukemia begins in cells that normally form lymphocytes (T cells or B cells). These cells develop into abnormal cells that do not mature properly. They do not function like normal T cells or B cells and cannot be recognized by the immune system. This means that the leukemia cells will not be killed by natural defenses such as macrophages or other white blood cells. Instead, the only way to kill them is with chemotherapy.
Acute myeloid leukemia starts in cells that normally form neutrophils (myeloid cells) or monocytes (monocytic cells). They do not function like normal neutrophils or monocytes and cannot be recognized by the immune system.
Leukemia, sometimes called leukaemia, is a kind of blood cancer that generally begins in the bone marrow and results in an abnormally large number of blood cells. These undeveloped blood cells are known as "blasts" or "leukemia cells." The term "leukemia" comes from Greek words meaning "change to white" because of the abnormal blood cells' appearance under the microscope.
The cause of leukemia is not clear but factors such as genetics, environment, and infection may play a role. Leukemia can be classified by how many types of blood cells are affected. If it is limited to one type of cell (such as lymphocytes or monocytes) then it is called a single-cell leukemia. If it affects two different types of cells (such as lymphocytes and myeloid cells) then it is called a double-cell leukemia. Triple-cell leukemias involve all three types of blood cells. The most common form of leukemia is chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), which means "chronic malignancy of the blood-making machinery" due to its similarity with other chronic diseases that affect the blood-making process such as HIV/AIDS or hepatitis B and C. It is also called Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) or BCR-ABL positive. This means that there is an error in the genetic code for some of the proteins made by red blood cells that causes them to become malignant.
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