Leukaemia

goodtoknow says: Leukaemia means cancer of the blood cells. It can be treated very successfully. There are two basic types of leukaemia. Acute leukaemia comes on quickly and can cause extreme tiredness, anaemia, excessive bruising and weight loss. Chronic leukaemia develops slowly, often over years, and may have no symptoms. Diagnosis is usually via a blood test or bone marrow sample. Leukaemia is the most common childhood cancer but most children can be cured. Treatment depends on the type you have but includes chemotherapy, radiotherapy and bone marrow transplants.

For a full medical explanation of the causes, symptoms and treatments of leukaemia from patient.co.uk, read on.

Leukaemia is a cancer of blood-forming cells. There are different types. If you develop leukaemia it is important to know what type it is. This is because the outlook (prognosis) and treatments vary for the different types. This leaflet gives a general overview.

What is leukaemia?

Leukaemia is a cancer of cells in the bone marrow (the cells which develop into blood cells).

Cancer is a disease of the cells in the body. There are many types of cancer which arise from different types of cell. What all cancers have in common is that the cancer cells are abnormal and do not respond to normal control mechanisms. Large numbers of cancer cells build up because they multiply 'out of control', or because they live much longer than normal cells, or both.

With leukaemia, the cancerous cells in the bone marrow spill out into the bloodstream. There are several types of leukaemia. Most types arise from cells which normally develop into white blood cells. (The word leukaemia comes from a greek work which means 'white blood'.) If you develop leukaemia it is important to know exactly what type it is. This is because the outlook (prognosis) and treatments vary for the different types. Before discussing the different types of leukaemia it may help to know some basics about normal blood cells and how they are made.