What Is Leukemia?

Leukemia is a type of cancer derived from bone marrow stem cells that make blood cells. Bone marrow is a substance that fills the center of most bones, where the blood cells are made. Leukemia is basically a blood cancer, and cells can not be properly formed. Leukemia is present in blood cells and blood cells do not have chromosomes or DNA, so they can not divide or proliferate like somatic cells. Blood cells are formed in the bone marrow, and when excess blood cells are formed in the human body, leukemia is formed.

Leukemia: There are basically four main types of leukemia. These are acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This type is usually formed in the bone marrow or tissue that is part of blood cells and is called blood cancer.

Acute lymphocytic leukemia is the most common form of childhood leukemia. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia proliferates very rapidly in the bone marrow. Bone marrow is a soft tissue in the middle of the bone that produces red blood cells and white blood cells ("leukemia - adult acute 2"). This type of leukemia is also called ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia) (facts and data of the American Cancer Society). 80% of children with leukemia fall into this category. There is a high possibility that everyone "affects boys over girls". Another summary of leukemia includes important facts concerning leukemia. The annual mortality rate of leukemia is estimated at 20,500 people. (The facts and figures of the American Cancer Society) will report approximately 25,700 cases of new leukemia each year. Contrary to the general idea, leukemia affects adults more than children. Another important fact about leukemia is that it does not form a tumor and usually metastases rapidly.

Depending on the rate of disease progression and the type of abnormal cells produced, there are various types of leukemia. If leukemia develops rapidly, it is called acute leukemia. Large amounts of leukemia cells rapidly accumulate in the blood and bone marrow, cause fatigue, it becomes vulnerable and it becomes easy to infect. Acute leukemia requires rapid and aggressive treatment. Leukemia is further classified as bone marrow or lymph, depending on the type of white blood cells that make up the leukemic cells. In order to understand various kinds of leukemia, a basic understanding about the normal development of blood cells is necessary. Normal blood cells arise from stem cells that are prone to many cell types. Bone marrow stem cells mature within the bone marrow and become immature white blood cells called bone marrow cells. These bone marrow cells further mature into erythrocytes, platelets or certain leukocytes.