Synonyms

• Acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, acute nonlymphocytic leukemia, ALL, AML, anemia, ataxia telangiectasia, benzene, Bloom's syndrome, bone marrow, chemotherapy, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, CLL, CML, computed tomography, CT, cytogenetic analysis, erythrocytes, Fanconi's anemia, hairy cell leukemia, hematopoietic, HTLV-I, human T-cell leukemia virus I, leukemic, leukocytes, lymphocytic, lymphoid tissue, malignant, myelogenous, myeloid cells, oncogenes, petechia, platelets, radiation therapy, radionuclide scan, relapse, remission, spleen, splenectomy, thrombocytosis, tumor suppressor, ultrasound, white blood cells, X-ray.

Background

• Leukemia is cancer of the bone marrow and blood. The bone marrow is the soft, inner part of the bones that makes red and white blood cells. Leukemia is characterized by the uncontrolled accumulation of white blood cells (leucocytes).
• Under normal circumstances, the blood-forming (hematopoietic) cells of the bone marrow make leukocytes to defend the body against infectious organisms, such as viruses and bacteria. Leukocytes fight infection through a process known as phagocytosis. During phagocytosis, the leukocytes surround and destroy foreign organisms. White blood cells also produce, transport, and distribute antibodies as part of the body's immune response. If some leukocytes are damaged and remain in an immature form, they become poor infection fighters that multiply excessively and do not die off as they should. Immature leukocytes are those that have just been formed in the bone marrow.
• These damaged leukemic cells accumulate and lessen the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells (erythrocytes), blood-clotting cells (platelets), and normal leukocytes. If untreated, the surplus leukemic cells overwhelm the bone marrow, enter the bloodstream, and eventually invade other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and central nervous system (brain, spinal cord). In this way, the behavior of leukemia is different than that of other cancers, which usually begin in major organs and ultimately spread to the bone marrow.
• Leukemia can be acute (fast growing) or chronic (slow growing).
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Types of Leukemia

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Causes and Risk Factors

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Signs and Symptoms

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Complications

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Diagnosis

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Treatment

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Integrative Therapies

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Prevention

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Bibliography

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