Link to MamasHealth.com
MamasHealth.com Home
Blood Diseases

Agnogenic Metaplasia
Amyloidosis
Aplastic Anemia
Blood type
Diabetes
Hematuria
Hemolytic Syndrome
Hemophilia
Hypercalcemia
Hyperglycemia
Hypoglycemia
Iron Deficiency Anemia
ITP
Leukemia
Mastocytosis
Multiple Myeloma
Myelodysplastic
Pernicious Anemia
Polycythemia Vera
Porhyria
Sepsis
Sickle Cell Anemia
Thrombocytopenia
Thrombophlebitis
Von Willebrand's Disease
Wegener's Granulomatosis

Links

Email Mama

How to Switch Careers in Midlife

Health benefits of sex



What is Leukemia?

Leukemia is a cancer that starts in the organs that make blood, namely the bone marrow (the soft inner part of the bone) and the lymph system. In leukemia, abnormal and immature white blood cells are produced in the bone marrow and lymph system. The immature white blood cells are called leukocytes.

In some individuals, leukocytes are so numerous that the blood actually has a whitish tinge. When abnormal and immature white blood cells are produced, production of normal cells decreases and the ability to fight infection decreases.

The ability to fight infection decreases because the leukemia cells accumulate and lessen the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, blood-clotting cells (platelets), and normal leukocytes. If left untreated, the surplus leukemia cells overwhelm the bone marrow, enter the bloodstream, and will eventually invade other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and the brain, and spinal cord.

Leukemia means "white blood" in Greek. Leukemia occurs when there is an excess of abnormal white blood cells in the blood.

There are 4 major kinds of leukemia: acute, chronic, lymphocytic, and myelogenous. Acute leukemia's progress very rapidly, and chronic leukemia's progress slowly. The majority of the childhood leukemia's are acute leukemia's.

Symptoms of Leukemia

There are many symptoms of leukemia and everyone will not experience the same symptoms. Some of the symptoms are: Weakness or chronic fatigue, Fever of unknown origin, Weight loss that is not due to dieting or exercise, Frequent bacterial or viral infections, Headaches, Skin rash, Nonspecific bone pain, Easy bruising, Bleeding from gums or nose, Blood in urine or stools, Enlarged lymph nodes and/or spleen, and Abdominal fullness.

Doctors can determine the presence of leukemia through blood tests and examinations of bone marrow.

What Causes Leukemia?

The cause of most leukemia's is unknown. However, researchers are working hard to determine the cause. Researchers do know that leukemia occurs in males more often than in females and in white people more often than in black people. However, researchers cannot explain why one person gets leukemia and another does not.

Types of leukemia

There are several types of leukemia. They are grouped in two ways. One way is by how quickly the disease develops and gets worse. The other way is by the type of blood cell that is affected.

Leukemia is either acute or chronic, lymphocytic or myelogenous. In acute leukemia, the abnormal blood cells are blasts that remain very immature and cannot carry out their normal functions. The number of blasts increases rapidly, and the disease becomes worse quickly. There are different kinds of acute leukemia's:

In chronic leukemia, some blast cells are present, but in general, these cells are more mature and can carry out some of their normal functions. Chronic leukemia refers to a condition where the cells look mature but they are not completely normal. The cells live too long and cause a buildup of certain kinds of white blood cells. Also, the number of blasts increases less rapidly than in acute leukemia. As a result, chronic leukemia worsens gradually.

Lymphocytic and myelogenous (or myeloid) leukemia refer to the two different kinds of cells from which leukemia's start. Lymphocytic leukemia's develop from lymphocytes in the bone marrow. Myelogenous leukemia (also called myelocytic) develops from either granulocyte white blood cells or monocyte white blood cells.

**Information in table from American Cancer Society

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
* Affects children and adults
* More common among children
* Accounts for slightly more than half of all cases of childhood leukemia
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
(also called Acute nonlymphocytic leukemia: ANLL)
* Affects children and adults
* Accounts for just under half of cases of childhood leukemia
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
* Affects adults
* Almost twice as common as CML
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
* Affects mostly adults: very rare in children
* About half as common as CLL

Can Leukemia be prevented?

Most cancers can be prevented by changes in lifestyle or diet, which will reduce the risk factors. Unfortunately, in leukemia's, there are no known risk factors. With no known risk factors, it is difficult to prevent them

Can Leukemia be treated?

Yes. There are two phases of treatment: induction therapy and continuation/maintenance therapy. In induction therapy, the main treatment is to reduce the number of leukemic cells and the main aim is to induce a remission. A remission is

The second phase of treatment occurs after a patient goes into remission. The aim of this phase is to kill any remaining cells and to extend the remission period as long as possible.

Chemotherapy, radiation therapy and bone marrow transplants are all methods of treatments.

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Surgery is usually not an option. Surgery is usually not an option because leukemia cells can spread to all the organs via the blood stream and the lymph vessels.

Radiation therapy is the use of x rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors,

Bone marrow transplantation is a process in which the patient's diseased bone marrow is replaced with healthy marrow.

Effects of Treatment

Leukemia Statistics

  • Leukemia strikes both sexes and all ages.
  • Overall survival rates have tripled over the last 30 years.

Leukemia Support Groups

Partner with MamasHealth.com

Email Newsletter icon, E-mail Newsletter icon, Email List icon, E-mail List icon Sign up for our Email Newsletter
For Email Marketing you can trust

 

Health Topics:

Mama wants to help: Food Bank programs

10 Simple exercise Secrets you can do at home

Hunger: the problem that no one wants to talk about

What no one will tell you about tummy tuck surgery

Can you tell your husband to stop sleeping with my wife?

Foods for weight loss

Can you tell your husband to stop sleeping with my wife?

How to deal with a stubborn husband

Information obtained from MamasHealth.com™ should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner, nor should it be inferred as such. Always check with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about a specific condition.

Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use.
Contact us: PO Box 2170, Pasadena, CA 91102-2170

If you want a review of your product featured on MamasHealth.com, let us know.

©2000 - 2009 MamasHealth, Inc.™. All rights reserved

Link to MamasHealth.com