Information about Leukemia: Causes and Symptoms

Leukemia is the name for a cancer of the blood-forming cells in the bone marrow. Leukemia usually results in the excessive proliferation of abnormal white blood cells. Over time, these abnormal white blood cells begin to crowd out the platelets, red blood cells and normal white blood cells, resulting in a number of serious health complications.

 

Leukemia is generally classified according to two specific criteria: how quickly the cancer develops and which cells are affected.

Leukemia is either chronic or acute, depending on how fast the disease develops. Chronic leukemia is a slowly developing disease in which the abnormal white blood cells somewhat resemble normal, mature cells. Symptoms don't show in the initial stages, and start showing only after the disease has had time to develop.

Acute leukemia is the proliferation of abnormal white blood cells, which often look like poorly developed cells. These blood cells multiply quickly, and symptoms become apparent very soon.

The type of cell affected is also taken into consideration when classifying leukemia. Two types of cells are responsible for the production of blood cells: myeloid and lymphoid cells. If the disease affects the myeloid cells, it is called myelogenous. If the disease affects the lymphoid cells, it is called lymphocytic.

Early stages of the disease often show no symptoms, but as the cancer progresses, symptoms become more pronounced. Symptoms vary from person to person, but some of the more common symptoms of leukemia are:

A combination of a physical exam, blood tests and a biopsy enables the doctor to properly diagnose leukemia. In certain cases, a spinal tap or imaging tests may be required.

This section discusses in detail both acute leukemia and chronic leukemia with each article listed in the menu to the left. To research other blood disorders or health topics, please use the morefocus search tool, or see the related topics listed to the left.