leukemia symptoms : 2 major types of leukemia
myelogenous and lymphocytic, include both acute and chronic forms.
Acute essentially refers to a disorder of rapid onset. In the acute myelocytic leukemias, the abnormal cells grow rapidly and do not mature. Most of these immature cells tend to die rapidly. In the acute lymphocytic leukemias, growth is not as rapid as that of the myelocytic cells. Rather, the cells tend to accumulate. Common to both types of leukemia is their inability to carry out the functions of healthy white blood cells. Untreated, death occurs within weeks or a few months.
In the chronic leukemias, the onset tends to be slow, and the cells generally mature abnormally and often accumulate in various organs, often over long intervals. Their ability to fight infections and assist in repairing injured tissues is impaired. However, unlike the acute forms of leukemia, untreated, these disorders may persist for many months or, as in the chronic lymphocytic group, many years. A distinctive feature of the chronic myelocytic type is its invariable conversion, if untreated, to a more rapidly fulminating acute type, leading to rapid death.
In summary, the 4 main types of leukemia are as follows:
Acute lymphocytic leukemia
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Acute myelocytic leukemia
Chronic myelocytic leukemia
Less common types include hairy cell leukemia and human T-cell leukemia.
Leukemia affects people of all ages. Approximately 85% of leukemias in children are of the acute type.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) affects both children and adults but is more common in children. It accounts for 65% of the acute leukemias in children.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is essentially an adult disorder and is almost twice as common as chronic myelocytic leukemia.
Acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) is the most common acute leukemia in adults.
Chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) is far more common in adults than in children.
As leukemic cells grow and eventually outnumber normal cells, the following events occur:
The normal blood cells are disabled, resulting in conditions such as frequent infections, bleeding problems (poor healing of small cuts or sores), and anemia (low red blood cell count).
The leukemia cells may collect in certain parts of the body, causing pain, swelling, and other problems.
Identifying the type of leukemia is important, since this determines which treatment is given.
Leukemia is newly diagnosed in about 29,000 adults and 2000 children each year in the United States.
In adults, the acute leukemias occur in those of all ages, whereas the chronic varieties, particularly CLL, tend to occur in people older than 40 years.
Leukemia is one of the most common cancers of children.
Leukemia is more common in people of European descent than in African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, or Native Americans.
Survival rates in leukemia have risen dramatically in the last 40 years with improvements in diagnosis and treatment.
In 1960, the overall 5-year survival rate for all leukemias was about 14%. It is now about 50%.
The highest survival rates occur in children with the so-called "common" ALL type.
Acute essentially refers to a disorder of rapid onset. In the acute myelocytic leukemias, the abnormal cells grow rapidly and do not mature. Most of these immature cells tend to die rapidly. In the acute lymphocytic leukemias, growth is not as rapid as that of the myelocytic cells. Rather, the cells tend to accumulate. Common to both types of leukemia is their inability to carry out the functions of healthy white blood cells. Untreated, death occurs within weeks or a few months.
In the chronic leukemias, the onset tends to be slow, and the cells generally mature abnormally and often accumulate in various organs, often over long intervals. Their ability to fight infections and assist in repairing injured tissues is impaired. However, unlike the acute forms of leukemia, untreated, these disorders may persist for many months or, as in the chronic lymphocytic group, many years. A distinctive feature of the chronic myelocytic type is its invariable conversion, if untreated, to a more rapidly fulminating acute type, leading to rapid death.
In summary, the 4 main types of leukemia are as follows:
Acute lymphocytic leukemia
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Acute myelocytic leukemia
Chronic myelocytic leukemia
Less common types include hairy cell leukemia and human T-cell leukemia.
Leukemia affects people of all ages. Approximately 85% of leukemias in children are of the acute type.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) affects both children and adults but is more common in children. It accounts for 65% of the acute leukemias in children.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is essentially an adult disorder and is almost twice as common as chronic myelocytic leukemia.
Acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) is the most common acute leukemia in adults.
Chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) is far more common in adults than in children.
As leukemic cells grow and eventually outnumber normal cells, the following events occur:
The normal blood cells are disabled, resulting in conditions such as frequent infections, bleeding problems (poor healing of small cuts or sores), and anemia (low red blood cell count).
The leukemia cells may collect in certain parts of the body, causing pain, swelling, and other problems.
Identifying the type of leukemia is important, since this determines which treatment is given.
Leukemia is newly diagnosed in about 29,000 adults and 2000 children each year in the United States.
In adults, the acute leukemias occur in those of all ages, whereas the chronic varieties, particularly CLL, tend to occur in people older than 40 years.
Leukemia is one of the most common cancers of children.
Leukemia is more common in people of European descent than in African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, or Native Americans.
Survival rates in leukemia have risen dramatically in the last 40 years with improvements in diagnosis and treatment.
In 1960, the overall 5-year survival rate for all leukemias was about 14%. It is now about 50%.
The highest survival rates occur in children with the so-called "common" ALL type.
