Leukemia Types - Recognize Them, Treat Them, Defeat Them

Added: 02/16/2006

Leukemia is a cancer of blood or bone marrow, the main characteristic of which is abnormal production of blood cells, mostly white blood cells. It may be defined as cancerous disorder of blood-forming tissues. The disease was first named by Rudolf Virchow in 1887. The article deals with leukemia major types, prognosis and ways of its treatment. Each characteristic depends on the leukemia type and extent of it.

There are four major leukemia types. They are grouped into two sub-groups. So, these are acute and chronic leukemia; and lymphoid and myeloid leukemia.

Acute leukemia is characterized by an immature state of blood-forming cells, so they reproduce very swiftly. Due to that acute leukemia is to be treated immediately; otherwise the consequences may be fatal. Acute leukemia affects just primitive cells unable to carry out their functions. Chronic leukemia is characterized by mature blood-forming cells. They remain in the blood system much longer than normal white blood cells and are incapable of fighting infection. Chronic leukemia is slow in progress. These mature cells can normally carry out their functions.

Another leukemia types are myelogenous and lymphocytic. This classification is based on the type of white blood cells that are abnormally multiplying - lymphocytes, granulocytes or monocytes. If cancer white blood cells are granulocytes or monocytes, the leukemia is defined as myelogenous. On the contrary, if abnormal cells come from bone marrow lymphocytes the disease is classified as lymphocytic leukemia.

So, there are four leukemia types: acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

- Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) - one of the leukemia types, also known as acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) - is the most common form of adult leukemia. Most patients are of retirement age (average age at diagnosis is 65 years), and men are more often affected than women.

- Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is known as a myeloproliferative disorder - it is a disease in which bone marrow cells proliferate (multiply) outside of the bone marrow tissue.

- Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) - also known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia - is a malignant disease caused by the abnormal growth and development of early nongranular white blood cells, or lymphocytes.

- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is the most common leukemia in North America and in Europe. It is a disease of older adults and is very rare among people who are younger than 50 years of age.

Causes of leukemia are still unknown and may be both genetic factor and environmental surrounding. Leukemia results in somatic changes in DNA. Mutations take place either spontaneously or by radiation or due to carcinogenic factors. Viruses are also connected with some types and form of leukemia.

Symptoms of leukemia, depending on leukemia types, include fever, chills, weakness and fatigue, loss of appetite, bone pain, headache and skin symptoms. Patients with chronic leukemia have no symptoms, so leukemia prognosis is rather difficult in this case.

Leukemia treatment differs according to its types. Chemotherapy and anticancer drugs are widely used. Radiotherapy, bone and plasma transfusion are also applicable in leukemia treatment. Biological therapies include monoclonal antibodies and interferons, maturation drugs and tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

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