Leukemia

About Leukemia… Leukemia refers to cancers of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of white blood cells. Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, the spongy center of bones where our blood cells are formed. The disease develops when blood cells produced in the bone marrow grow out of control. An estimated 44,600 new cases of leukemia are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2011.

Types of Leukemia. ACUTE Chronic Lymphocytic slowly developing rapidly developing Acute myelogenous leukemia affects the myeloid cells. Usually does not cause any symptoms. Acute lymphocytic leukemia. Affects the lymphocytes CLL is the second most common form of leukemia in adults.

CAUSES… Researchers have not yet identified the exact causes of leukemia. However, research has shown that there are certain risk factors for leukemia. While these risk factors increase a person's chances of developing the disease, they are not leukemia causes. Exposure to very high levels of radiation Working with certain chemicals Receiving chemotherapy Having Down syndrome and other genetic conditions Having human T-cell leukemia virus-1 (HTLV-1) Smoking--about 20 percent of adult acute leukemia cases are related to smoking.

Symptoms. Leukemia symptoms vary, depending on the type of leukemia. Common leukemia signs and symptoms include: Fever or chills Persistent fatigue, weakness Frequent infections Losing weight without trying Swollen lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen Easy bleeding or bruising Tiny red spots in your skin (petechiae) Excessive sweating, especially at night Bone pain or tenderness

DIAGNOSIS. A CBC ( Complete Blood Count) test is done to show high or low levels of white cells and shows leukemia cells in the blood. A bone marrow biopsy and aspiration, in which marrow samples are removed (usually from the back of the hip) often used to confirm the diagnosis. Blood Tests Total count, Hematocrit assay Hemoglobin level Blood cell morphology tests /staining Blood chemistry tests Genetic studies including karyotype, FISH

Treatment… The choice of treatment depends mainly on the following: The type of leukemia (acute or chronic) Your age Whether leukemia cells were found in your cerebrospinal fluid Chemotherapy Radiation Therapy Bone Marrow Transplant

Prognosis. Prognosis largely depends on age and response to therapies Childhood leukemias are mostly of the acute variety. They are easily treatable and can even be cured. Chronic leukemia in adults has a good life expectancy

References http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/cancer/cancer_leukemia.html# http://www.bumrungrad.com/en/betterhealth/2011/cancer-treatments/half-identical-stem-cell-transplantation http://www.mayoclinic.org/acute-leukemia/ http://www.lls.org/#/diseaseinformation/leukemia/ http://leukemia.emedtv.com/leukemia/causes-of-leukemia.html