Conditions InDepth: Leukemia
by Michael Jubinville, MPH Cancer is a disease in which cells grow in an abnormal way. They are supposed to divide in a controlled way to replace old or damaged cells. With leukemia, blood cells grow and divide quickly, making more than are needed. Normal Blood Cells and the Development of LeukemiaAll blood cells start in the bone marrow as stem cells. Stem cells mature into many types of blood cell that have certain roles in the body. These are:
New, healthy cells are made in the bone marrow. This keeps the number of blood cells in a healthy range. With leukemia, too many abnormal cells are made and they crowd out the bone marrow. This makes it hard for new, healthy cells to be made. Cancer moves around the body in the blood and lymph streams. This keeps organs like the spleen, liver, brain, and lymph nodes from working as they should.
Types of LeukemiaLeukemia is grouped by how fast it grows and the type of blood cell affected. The groups are:
Leukemia is also grouped by the bone marrow cells it starts in:
Common types of leukemia include:
References:Acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ALL). EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at: ...(Click grey area to select URL) Acute myeloid leukemia (AML). EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at: ...(Click grey area to select URL) Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic leukemia (SLL). EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at: ...(Click grey area to select URL) Chronic myeloid leukemia. EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at: ...(Click grey area to select URL) Leukemia. Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
website. Available at:
https://www.lls.org/leukemia.
Leukemia—patient version. National Cancer Institute
website. Available at:
https://www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia. Overview of leukemia. Merck Manual Professional Version website. Available at: https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/hematology-and-oncology/leukemias/overview-of-leukemia. Last reviewed December 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board
Mohei Abouzied, MD, FACP Last Updated: 3/14/2021 |
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