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What is Leukemia?
    Leukemia is cancer of blood cells. To understand the what causes Leukemia you need to know the blood cells and their functions. There are three types of blood cells: white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. White blood cells held the immune system fight off infections and diseases. Red blood cells carry the oxygen in the lungs to the tissues in the body. They also carry carbon dioxide away from tissues and back to the lungs. The platelets help blood clot. Leukemia affects the white blood cells. It causes the white blood cells to produce large numbers of abnormal cells.

Types of Leukemia!
    Blasts are the immature blood cells in the bone marrow. Leukemia can arise in either of the two main types of white blood cells lymphoid cells or myeloid cells. When leukemia affects lymphoid cells, it is called lymphocytic leukemia. When myeloid cells are affected, the disease is called myeloid or myelogenous leukemia. There are many different types of Leukemia.

• Acute Leukemia

• Chronic Leukemia

     In chronic leukemia, some blast cells are present, but in general, these cells are more mature and can carry out some of their normal functions. Also, the number of blasts increases less rapidly than in acute leukemia. As a result, chronic leukemia gets worse gradually.
 
 

• Hairy cell Leukemia

    Hairy cell leukemia is an uncommon type of chronic leukemia. This and other uncommon types of leukemia are not discussed in this booklet. The Cancer Information Service can supply information about them.

Symptoms of Leukemia
 

• Fever, chills, and other flu like symptoms;
• Weakness and fatigue;
• Frequent infections;
• Loss of appetite and/or weight;
• Swollen or tender lymph nodes, liver, or spleen;
• Easy bleeding or bruising;
• Tiny red spots (called petechiae) under the skin;
• Swollen or bleeding gums;
• Sweating, especially at night; and/or
• Bone or joint pain.

Treatment for Leukemia is very complex and different with every cause. Because there are so many different types of Leukemia, the treatments vary with what type of Leukemia is diagnosed. Treatment may include chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants, or radiation therapy.

Acute:
The main goal for treatment for Acute Leukemia is to bring about remission. Additional therapy after remission can be done to prevent a relapse. Many acute patients can be cured.

Chronic:
Because Chronic Leukemia patients might not have symptoms they are encouraged to visit the doctor frequently to check the progress of the disease. Unfortunately chronic leukemia is seldom cured.

 Back to Diseases of the Circulatory System