Leukemia Cancer
About Leukemia

Leukemia Cancer Information.

Leukemia is a sort of cancer of the blood and marrow.

The disease is characterized through the over-producing of immature blood cells (stem cells) that aren’t able to fully develop and to carry out the activities of normal blood cells.

According to their functions and structure, there are three different types of cells within the normal blood: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Through the process of hematopoiesis, these three types of blood cells are developed from a distinctive type of blood cell called stem cell.

Stem cells divide and go through several stages of development to finally form a mature blood cell of a particular type, with a certain, distinctive function in the body. The process through which a stem cell changes to a mature blood cell takes place within the bone marrow.

According to the speed of development and the persistence of the disorder, there are two types of leukemia:


Acute Leukemia

Chronic Leukemia


Acute leukemia is known to develop more rapid, while chronic leukemia is developed at a far slower rate.

According to the types of blood cells affected by the disease, leukemia can either be lymphocytic or myelogenous.



Lymphocytic

The lymphocytic type of leukemia develops from cells called lymphoblasts or lymphocytes in the spongiest tissue of the bones.

Myelogenous

The myelogenous type of leukemia (sometimes referred to as myeloid and myelocytic leukemia) develops from myeloid cells.



Acute Leukemia

In the case of acute forms of leukemia, the abnormal cells come from early, immature cells. Such forms of the disorder have a higher rate of development, due to normal stem cells that tend to multiply frequently.

Leukemia cells usually don’t divide faster and more frequently than normal stem cells, they simply don’t stop their process of division when they should. Sometimes the numbers of white blood cells are very high, while in other cases they can be normal or low.

Chronic leukemia

Apart from its slow development, Chronic Leukemia is different from Acute Leukemia by the level of maturation that the diseased cells are able to reach.

Stem cells affected by chronic leukemia reach a higher level of maturation but they present abnormalities and they can’t act as healthy white blood cells do.

In the chronic form of the disease the unhealthy cells have much longer periods of life and they tend to accumulate in different parts of the body.

Leukemia affects people of all age groups. While children usually respond better to the treatment for leukemia and often deal well with the disease.

Regardless of age and sex, many people are diagnosed with forms of leukemia.

The cases of acute leukemia exceed those of chronic leukemia by approximately 10 percent.

Older adults seem to be affected the most by acute leukemia. Around two thirds of acute leukemia cases seem to occur after the age of 60.

• Leukemia Causes and Symptoms
  
  Leukemia Causes and Symptoms - Leukemia is a sort of cancer of the blood and marrow. The disease is characterized through the over-producing of immature blood cells (stem cells) that aren’t able to fully develop and carry out the activities of normal blood cells.
• Chronic Leukemia
  
  Chronic Leukemia - Leukemia is a disease of the blood and bone marrow that occurs on the background of genetic predispositions to cancer. Leukemia affects the cellular process of maturation, causing the accumulation of immature blood cells in the spinal marrow and bloodstream.
• Acute Leukemia
  
  Acute Leukemia - Leukemia is a disease of the bone marrow and blood that is known to affect normal blood cell production. Normal blood cells have a limited period of life and they need to be constantly replaced by fresh, young cells to carry on their activity.