What is Leukemia?

These cells are unable to fight infection the way a normal white blood cell would. Eventually they accumulate and interfere with the production of the healthy blood cells and proper vital organ functions. After a certain time period, the body will not have enough red cells to supply oxygen. There will also be a lack of platelets to ensure proper clotting. All these factors will cause the infected person anemic and susceptible to bleeding, bruising and infection.

Many types of leukemia exist. There are nearly 300,000 cases diagnosed in the United States every year. It is found in adults more than children and affects men more than women. Some forms of leukemia are most common in children. Other forms of leukemia occur mostly in adults.

There are two types of cases of leukemia: acute or chronic. The cells in an acute leukemia patient start multiplying before they develop beyond their immature stage. A case of someone with chronic leukemia would progress more slowly, with cancer cells developing to full maturity. Leukemias are further classified according to the type of white blood cell involved. The two main types of white blood cells are easily distinguishable: Myeloid cells contain tiny particles or granules; lymphoid cells usually do not.

Symptoms

The type of leukemia will determine the symptoms, as they will vary. Some symptoms are also common with people that have the flu, so they may be overlooked during early leukemia. Approximately 20% of those with chronic leukemia will not have symptoms when they are diagnosed. Common leukemia signs and symptoms include:

• Frequent infections
• Easy bruising or bleeding
• Fever or chills
• Night sweats
• Persistent fatigue, weakness
• Losing weight without trying
• Swollen lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen
• Tiny red spots in your skin called petechiae
• Bone pain or tenderness

Leukemia cells can accumulate in many different parts of the body, such as the brain, testicles, lymph nodes, kidneys, lungs, skin, liver, spleen, digestive tract, and eyes — practically every tissue site. Some symptoms of leukemia are due to collections of leukemia cells in tissues and organs. Other deficiencies are lack of normal blood cells. When the cells do collect in the tissues and organs, they can cause the following symptoms:

• Seizures
• Headache
• Balance problems
• Blurred vision
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea or vomiting
• Confusion
• Abdominal pain and/or swelling
• Testicular pain and/or swelling
• Pain in the bones or joints
• Weakness or loss of muscle control

Treatment

Leukemia treatment is determined by several factors. The first is the type of leukemia you have, secondly, how far along it is, and lastly, your age and overall health.

Acute leukemia requires a quick treatment to stop the rapid growth of leukemia cells. In numerous cases, treatment makes acute leukemia go into remission. Doctors use the term "remission" to "cure," because there is a chance the cancer could come back.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia may not need to be treated until someone has symptoms. But chronic myelogenous leukemia will probably be treated right away. Chronic leukemia can seldom be cured, but treatment can help control the disease.

Treatments for leukemia include:

• Chemotherapy uses powerful medicines to kill cancer cells. This is the chief treatment for most types of leukemia.
• Radiation treatments uses high-dose X-rays to destroy cancer cells and shrink swollen lymph nodes or an enlarged spleen. It may also be used before a stem cell transplant.
• Biological therapy is the use of special medicines that improve your body's natural defenses against cancer.
• Stem cell transplant recipients can rebuild your supply of normal blood cells and boost your immune system. Before the transplant, radiation or chemotherapy is used to destroy cells in bone marrow and make room for donated cells.
• Targeted therapy can help control the disease and uses drugs that attack specific vulnerabilities within your cancer cells. For example, the drug imatinib (Gleevec) stops the action of a protein within the leukemia cells of people with chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Clinical trials are research projects to test new medicines and other treatments. Often people with leukemia take part in these studies.

Causes

Doctors and scientists do not know what causes leukemia yet. However, there are a few environmental risk factors for some types of leukemia such as smoking and tobacco use, exposure to large amounts of radiation, exposure to certain chemicals in the workplace, or if you’d had chemotherapy or radiation for another type of cancer in the past. But, most people who get leukemia do not have any risk factors.

Most types of leukemia do not appear to run in families. But in some cases, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) does. However, a genetic condition such as Down syndrome, may make acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) more probable.

Leukemia occurs when cell mutations cause the cell to grow and divide more rapidly and to continue living when normal cells would die. When these abnormal cells crowd out healthy blood cells, it causes the signs and symptoms of leukemia.

Tests & Diagnosis

There are three types of exams that will be preformed to determine whether or not someone has leukemia. A physical exam will look for signs of leukemia such as swollen lymph nodes. Next will be a blood test. A doctor will be able to determine if you have abnormal levels of white blood cells or platelets (that may suggest a case of leukemia. .

• Physical exam. Your doctor will ask about your medial history, and look for physical signs of leukemia, such as pale skin from anemia and swelling of of lymph nodes, liver and spleen.
• Blood tests. By looking at a sample of your blood, your doctor can determine if you have abnormal levels of white blood cells or platelets — which may suggest leukemia. Doctors often find chronic leukemia in a routine blood test, before symptoms even begin.
• Bone marrow test. Your doctor may recommend a procedure to remove a sample of bone marrow from your hipbone. The bone marrow is removed using a long, thin needle. This sample is sent to a laboratory to look for leukemia cells. Specialized tests of your leukemia cells may reveal certain characteristics that are used to determine your treatment options.

The type of leukemia you have will be determined by the unusual cells, chromosomes, or protein on existing cells. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), or chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), or even a subtype, are often found.

Your doctor may also order other tests, including:

• CT scan of the head, chest, and belly, to find out whether leukemia has spread there.
• Lumbar puncture, to find out whether leukemia cells are in your cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
• MRI of the brain, to look into symptoms such as numbness, confusion, paralysis, vision problems, vertigo, or headaches. These symptoms could mean the leukemia has spread to the brain.

Prognosis

Different types of leukemia vary in their response to treatment. Some types of acute leukemia respond very well to treatment and can even be cured. Others do not have such a positive outlook. Chronic leukemias usually cannot be cured, but they can be controlled for long periods. Some people with chronic leukemias respond well at first, but, over time, their remissions last for shorter and shorter intervals.

Specific factors are associated with outcomes in each type of leukemia. General factors associated with outcomes include age, percentages of leukemia cells in the body that are affected with leukemia, and chromosome abnormalities within leukemia cells.

Leukemia outlook is measured in terms of survival rates. The number of people who are still alive 5 years after treatment varies by type of leukemia. After 5 years, greater than 80% of patients without detectable disease will likely maintain a lifelong remission. Patients in remission longer than 15 years are considered unequivocal cures.

Prevention

There is no way to prevent most types of leukemia that we know of yet. Some types of leukemia may be prevented by avoiding smoking and other tobacco high doses of radiation, exposure to the chemical benzene use, or certain types of chemotherapy used to treat other types of cancer.