LEUKEMIA

What disorder is leukemia?

• Leukemia is a genetic disease, though in a lot of cases, it’s not genetic.
• It’s a type of blood cancer that develops in lymphoid cells in the bone marrow or
lymphatic system
• It commonly affects the white blood cells making it harder for the body’s immune
system to fight infection
What causes leukemia?
• Scientist don’t know what exactly causes leukemia.
• They believe it develops due to a combination of environmental and genetic
factors
How does it form?
• When some blood cells acquire mutations in their genetic material or DNA.
• The DNA contains the instructions that tell a cell what to do. Normally, they tell
the cell to grow at a set rate and die at a set time. With leukemia, the mutations
tell the blood cells to continue growing and dividing.
• The blood cell production the goes out of control. The abnormal cells over time
begin to crowd out the healthy blood cells in the bone marrow, leading to less
healthy white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets that cause the signs and
symptoms of leukemia.
Types of leukemia
• ALL- Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
• AML- Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
• CLL- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
• CML- Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
• Acute leukemias are more aggressive.
• Chronic leukemias tend to develop more slowly.
Risk factors
• The following may increase the risk of someone getting leukemia:
• Previous cancer treatment
• Genetic disorders
• Exposure to certain chemicals
• Family history of leukemia
• Smoking
• Human T-cell leukemia virus type I
Symptoms of leukemia
• Loss of appetite
• Unexplained weight loss
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Excessive tiredness and weakness
• Easy bleeding, bruising and nosebleed
• Fever, chills, body aches and other flu-like symptoms
• Repeated infections
• Bone pain or tenderness
• Tiny red spots in skin
When to visit a doctor
• Make an appointment if you have persistent signs or symptoms
• People may overlook symptoms since they may resemble symptoms of the flu or
other common illnesses.
• It can sometimes be discovered during blood tests when testing for other
conditions
Treatment methods
• There is no cure for leukemia but there are ranges of advanced treatments which
are:
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Bone marrow transplants
• Monoclonal antibody therapy
• Clinical trials
• Immunotherapy