Different cells producing leukemia

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What is leukemia and what causes leukemia?

What is leukemia?

Leukemia- Leukemia is a type of cancer . Cancer is a group of many related diseases. All cancers begin in cells, which make up blood and other tissues. Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old, they die, and new cells take their place.
Your white blood cells are potent infection fighters — they normally grow and divide in an orderly way, as your body needs them. But in leukemia, your bone marrow produces a large number of abnormal white blood cells, which don't function properly. Leukemia isn't just a children's disease. It has four main types and many subtypes — and only some are common among children.
The 4 main types of leukemia are as follows:
Acute lymphocytic leukemia
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Acute myelocytic leukemia
Chronic myelocytic leukemia

Sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. New cells form when the body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. Leukemia is cancer that begins in blood cells.
It is a cancer of blood-forming cells in the bone marrow. These deranged, immature cells accumulate in the blood and within organs of the body. They are not able to carry out the normal functions of blood cells.
Normal blood contains 3 major groups of cells: white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. All 3 types of blood cells develop from one immature cell type, called blood/marrow stem cells, in a process called hematopoiesis.
In some individuals, leukocytes are so numerous that the blood actually has a whitish tinge. When abnormal and immature white blood cells are produced, production of normal cells decreases and the ability to fight infection decreases.
The ability to fight infection decreases because the leukemic cells accumulate and lessen the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, blood-clotting cells (platelets), and normal leukocytes.

What causes leukemia?

No one knows the exact causes of leukemia. Doctors can seldom explain why one person gets leukemia and another does not. However, research has shown that people with certain leukemia risk factors are more likely than others to develop this disease. A leukemia risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing a disease.
Some other causes of leukemia:
Translocations are another type of DNA abnormality involved in developing leukemia. Human DNA is packaged in 23 pairs of chromosomes. A translocation means that some of the DNA from one chromosome becomes attached to a different chromosome. Like mutations, translocations can turn on oncogenes or turn off tumor suppressor genes. Translocations that develop during life are quite common in chronic leukemias. Different types of leukemia typically have translocations that affect different chromosomes.

Exposure to very high levels of radiation
Working with certain chemicals
Receiving chemotherapy
Having Down syndrome and other genetic conditions
Having human T-cell leukemia virus-1 (HTLV-1)
Having myelodysplastic syndrome.
Smoking and tobacco use.
Being exposed to certain chemicals in the workplace.
Past chemotherapy or radiation for another cancer. (This is rare, and not all chemotherapies raise your leukemia risk.)

A short classification of leukemia cells

In the bone marrow are produced the leukemia cells which are abnormal and immature.These cells are clasiffied in two types:lymphoid leukemia cells and myeloid leukemia cells.The abnormal, immature cells called leukemia cells are produced by blood-forming tissue and these are named after the lymphoid or myeloid cells.

It is better to know about the normal blood cells and about the form of these.So,in the bone marrow,which is the soft material in the center of most bones, are formed the blood cells.The immature blood cells called stem cells and blasts are produced by the marrow.

These blood cells become mature,they can be formed into one of three types of mature blood cells like:red blood that carry oxygen and other materials to all tissues of the body,white blood cells that fight infection and disease,platelets that help prevent bleeding by causing blood clots to form.

One of two types of stem cells are created by mature blood cells like lymphoid stem cells or myeloid stem cells.As they grow they become lymphoid blasts, they transform in lymphocytes and then passes into white blood cells.In the same way myeloid cells grow,passes into myeloid blasts, then myelocytes and finally they become either white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets.

Abnormal cells are produced in the bone marrow and they can be either abnormal lymphoid cells or myeloid cells;appears only at people with leukemia.Lymphocytic leukemia is formed by the abnormal lymphoid cells and the myeloid leukemia is created by the abnormal myeloid cells.The types of leukemia based on the leukemia cells are four and they are the following:chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL),chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML),acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Too many stem cells develops into either abnormal lymphoblasts or lynphocytes conduct to the appearence of lymphoid leukemia cells.Unfortunatelly lymphoblastic and lymphocytic are not abble to fight infection because of the number of lymphocytes arrises in the blood and bone marrow,there is less space for healty white blood cells,red blood cells and platelets, which can cause infection anemia and easy bleeding.

At people with leukemia there are three types of lymphocytes they became abnormal:B lymphocytes that make antibodies to help fight infection,T lymphocytes that help B lymphocytes make the antibodies that help fight infection and natural killer cells that attack cancer cells and viruses.It is important for as to know the classification of these cells and their role.

What is Acute myelogenous leukemia

AML, (acute myelogenous leukemia), is an aggressive cancer of the bone marrow and blood. It is the most common type of leukemia. AML is also known by the following names-acute myeloblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, acute granulocytic leukemia or acute nonlymphocytic leukemia. Blood cells are malformed and useless. The cells can accumulate in parts of the body.

Acute myelogenous leukemia statistics
• Rare in people under 40 years old
• More common in men than in women
• Average age is 65 years old
• 5-year survival rate
o under 65 years old-33%
o over 65 years old-4%
• 2007 it is predicted there will be 13,000 cases (majority will be adults)

The symptoms of acute myelogenous leukemia include abnormal blood counts, a general run-down, unwell feeling that never gets better, reoccurring infections, swollen lymph nodes, and bone/ joint pain. Symptoms are acute (comes on suddenly, and accelerates quickly) instead of chronic (mild symptoms that gradually worsen over years).

When the malformed cells collect around parts of the body, it can cause skin, lung, central nervous system, kidney, and even testicle problems. Initially, acute myelogenous leukemia may mimic other conditions. Blood tests identify the possibility of AML. The final diagnosis is usually made after a bone marrow test and sometimes by a spinal tap, also known as a lumbar (lower spine) puncture (LP).

There are several types treatments available, one or more will be used to treat a dignosis of AML.

Chemotherapy-strong drugs taken orally or intravenously that kills the cancer cells. Occasionally it’s injected directly into the spine. It is a systemic treatment because it travels throughout the whole body.

Radiation-high energy rays like X-rays kill the cancer cells

Bone marrow transplants-unhealthy cancer producing bone marrow is destroyed and replaced with matching bone marrow.

Immunotherapy-stimulates the immune system to destroy cancer cells or boosts natural defenses. It can be a made naturally or artificially.

Risk factors for AML
• Previous chemotherapy or radiation treatments
• Exposure to radiation and chemicals like benzene
• Genetic disorders like Downs Syndrome
• Smoking
• Blood disorders like myelodysplasia.

People with risk factors should watch more closely for symptoms of AML because early treatment increases survival rate.

Statistic Information on Leukemia

Leukemia is a cancerous disease caused by abnormal activity of stem cells (immature cells that originate in the bone marrow). There are two main types of leukemia - myelogenous and lymphocytic (according to the type of cells involved), which can be further classified in two categories – acute and chronic.

Acute leukemia is characterized by the rapid multiplication of partially developed, functionless cells. These abnormal cells accumulate inside the bone marrow or in the blood stream, interfering with the activity of normal, healthy cells. People with acute leukemia also suffer from anemia, which is caused by a pronounced decrease in the number of red blood cells. Leukemia sufferers also have a deficit of healthy white cells, which have a vital role in fighting against infections. In addition, acute leukemia affects the body’s production of platelets, which have an important role in blood coagulation (they speed up the healing of open wounds).

Chronic leukemia also causes serious impairments at cellular level, triggering an overproduction of abnormal cells. However, unlike acute leukemia, chronic forms of the disease allow the affected cells to reach more advanced stages of development. Thus, chronic leukemia has a slower rate of progression.

The annual prevalence of leukemia among the population of the United States is around 31.000 new cases. Leukemia has the highest incidence in older adults, commonly affecting people with ages over 60. However, there are certain types of leukemia that predominantly affect children. For instance, acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is responsible for causing more than 80 percent of overall childhood leukemia cases.

In adults, the most common types of leukemia are acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Acute myelogenous leukemia accounts for more than 10.000 new cases each year, while chronic lymphocytic leukemia is responsible for causing around 8.000 new annual cases.

Leukemia has the highest incidence in the male gender. Statistics indicate that more than 56 percent of annual leukemia cases are diagnosed in men. Although it can be seen in all ethnical groups, leukemia predominantly affects Caucasian white people. The annual incidence of leukemia is lower in African Americans, while American Indians and Hispanics rarely develop the disease. Similarly, leukemia is rarely seen in Asian people.

The most common type of leukemia among children aged 3-15 is acute lymphocytic leukemia. Due to the fact that acute lymphocytic leukemia predominantly affects children, it is referred to as childhood leukemia. Childhood leukemia rarely affects children younger than 3 or with ages over 15. Despite the fact that modern medicine doesn’t hold the cure for childhood leukemia, the medical treatments and therapies available nowadays can slow down the progression of the disease and in some cases, they can even overcome leukemia completely. The annual morbidity rate of leukemia among young patients has known a considerable decrease in the last two decades. Thanks to modern medical equipment, leukemia can be timely diagnosed, allowing prompt medical intervention. Nowadays, early diagnosis and new approaches in medical treatment can considerably extend patients’ life-expectancy, thus increasing the chances of complete recovery.

Leukemia - Causes, Symptoms, Types and Treatment

Leukemia is a type of cancer. Cancer is a group of more than 100 diseases that have two important things in common. One is that certain cells in the body become abnormal. Another is that the body keeps producing large numbers of these abnormal cells. Leukemia cancer is of the blood cells. To understand leukemia, it is helpful to know about normal blood cells and what happens to them when leukemia develops.

Symptoms of Leukemia

There are many symptoms of leukemia and everyone will not experience the same symptoms. Some of the symptoms are: Weakness or chronic fatigue, Fever of unknown origin, Weight loss that is not due to dieting or exercise, Frequent bacterial or viral infections, Headaches, Skin rash, Nonspecific bone pain, Easy bruising, Bleeding from gums or nose, Blood in urine or stools, Enlarged lymph nodes and/or spleen, and Abdominal fullness.

Causes

CML can occur in adults (usually middle-aged) and children. The disease affects 1 to 2 people per 100,000 and accounts for 7 - 20% cases of leukemia. It is usually associated with a chromosome abnormality called the Philadelphia chromosome.

CML causes rapid growth of the blood-forming cells (myeloid precursors) in the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and body tissues.

Persons with this type of cancer have abnormal cells inside their bone marrow. The cells grow very fast, and replace healthy blood cells. The bone marrow, which helps the body fight infections, eventually stops working correctly. Persons with AML become more prone to infections and have an increased risk for bleeding as the numbers of healthy blood cells decrease.

Types

Chronic leukemia - Early in the disease, the abnormal blood cells can still do their work, and people with chronic leukemia may not have any symptoms. Slowly, chronic leukemia gets worse. It causes symptoms as the number of leukemia cells in the blood rises.

Acute leukemia -The blood cells are very abnormal. They cannot carry out their normal work. The number of abnormal cells increases rapidly. Acute leukemia worsens quickly.

Chemotherapy -- drugs that destroy cancer cells or stop them from growing.

Bone marrow or cord blood transplant (also called a BMT) offers some patients the best chance for a long-term remission of their disease. Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg) and Monoclonal antibodies are proteins designed to attach to leukemia cells and help the immune system destroy them.

Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in the vein or muscle.

Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy also can be put directly into the fluid around the brain and spinal cord through a tube inserted into the brain or back. This is called intrathecal chemotherapy.

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What is leukemia and what causes leukemia?

Leukemia- Leukemia is a type of cancer . Cancer is a group of many related diseases. All cancers begin in cells, which make up blood and other tissues. Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old, they die, and new cells take their place. Your white blood cells are potent infection fighters — they normally grow and divide in an orderly way, as your body needs them. But in leukemia, your bone marrow produces a large number of abnormal white blood cells, which don't function properly. Leukemia isn't just a children's disease. It has four main types and many subtypes — and only some are common among children. The 4 main types of leukemia are as follows: Acute lymphocytic leukemia Chronic lymphocytic leukemia Acute myelocytic leukemia Chronic myelocytic leukemia

Sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. New cells form when the body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. Leukemia is cancer that begins in blood cells. It is a cancer of blood-forming cells in the bone marrow. These deranged, immature cells accumulate in the blood and within organs of the body. They are not able to carry out the normal functions of blood cells. Normal blood contains 3 major groups of cells: white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. All 3 types of blood cells develop from one immature cell type, called blood/marrow stem cells, in a process called hematopoiesis. In some individuals, leukocytes are so numerous that the blood actually has a whitish tinge. When abnormal and immature white blood cells are produced, production of normal cells decreases and the ability to fight infection decreases. The ability to fight infection decreases because the leukemic cells accumulate and lessen the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, blood-clotting cells (platelets), and normal leukocytes.

What causes leukemia?

No one knows the exact causes of leukemia. Doctors can seldom explain why one person gets leukemia and another does not. However, research has shown that people with certain leukemia risk factors are more likely than others to develop this disease. A leukemia risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing a disease. Some other causes of leukemia: Translocations are another type of DNA abnormality involved in developing leukemia. Human DNA is packaged in 23 pairs of chromosomes. A translocation means that some of the DNA from one chromosome becomes attached to a different chromosome. Like mutations, translocations can turn on oncogenes or turn off tumor suppressor genes. Translocations that develop during life are quite common in chronic leukemias. Different types of leukemia typically have translocations that affect different chromosomes.

Exposure to very high levels of radiation Working with certain chemicals Receiving chemotherapy Having Down syndrome and other genetic conditions Having human T-cell leukemia virus-1 (HTLV-1) Having myelodysplastic syndrome. Smoking and tobacco use. Being exposed to certain chemicals in the workplace. Past chemotherapy or radiation for another cancer. (This is rare, and not all chemotherapies raise your leukemia risk.)

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Leukemia – Causes and treatment of Leukemia

A short classification of leukemia cells

What is Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

Leukemia – Causes and Treatment of Leukemia

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