SIRS Discoverer ® : Document : leukemia
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Reference
Compton's by Britannica
Aug 1, 2011, n.p.
Copyright © 2011 Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
leukemia
A cancer of the leukocytes, or white blood cells, leukemia arises in tissues where blood cells form, chiefly the
bone marrow and spleen. The normal function of the white blood cells is to fight invasion by foreign microbes
and viruses. When the cells become cancerous, however, they are no longer able to perform their normal
functions. Huge numbers of the abnormal cells may accumulate in any of the body's organs, interfering with
the organ's function. When the cells fill the bone marrow, they interfere with production of red blood cells,
which supply oxygen to the tissues, and platelets, which are needed for blood to clot properly. The
aggregation of the abnormal cells in the marrow also prevents production of an adequate supply of normal
leukocytes.
Mature white blood cells develop from stem cells (often referred to as blast cells) in the bone marrow. For
some reason—possibly a mutation, or change, in one or more genes—the usually orderly process of cell
division goes awry. When this happens, the leukocytes begin to multiply without restraint. This type of
uncontrolled cell division is typical of a cancerous process.
Types of Leukemia
White blood cells can be classified into one of two groups: granulocytes and lymphocytes. Leukemias can be
classified depending upon which group of leukocytes gave rise to the cancerous cells. If the stem cells that
give rise to granulocytes become cancerous, the disorder is termed myeloid, or myelocytic, leukemia. If the
stem cells that generate lymphocytes become cancerous, the disorder is termed lymphocytic leukemia.
Either form of leukemia may be acute or chronic. Acute leukemia develops suddenly and progresses rapidly;
many young blast cells are found in the blood. Chronic leukemia begins gradually and progresses slowly. In
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these cancers, a greater proportion of the cancerous cells are from mature cells.
Acute myelocytic leukemia
Acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) may lead to overgrowth of the gums and blurred vision. Seizures may
occur when AML involves the brain. Sudden bleeding from the bowel may be life-threatening to these
patients. Serious bacterial infections of the blood are common. AML can develop very rapidly, and without
treatment many patients die in a matter of weeks. However, 85 percent of patients do respond to treatment,
and up to half remain well after five years.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia
As it progresses, acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) often causes severe bone pain, and life-threatening
bleeding is common. The patients, usually children, will not live more than a few months at most without
intensive treatment. The younger the child and the fewer leukocytes present at the outset, the greater is the
chance of recovering. In the late 1990s, 70 percent of young children with ALL (but only about 20 percent of
older children and adults) were doing well five years after diagnosis.
Chronic myelocytic leukemia
Patients with chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) may develop bone pain, and an enlarged spleen may cause
pressure beneath the ribs on the left side. Some patients, however, are without any symptoms. CML can
develop very slowly and it may not be found until a routine blood test is done. The only cure for CML is a bone
marrow transplant. Without the transplant, the disease will become acute within three to five years and is very
difficult to treat at that stage.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Like CML, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) also may develop without any symptoms being noted, and
symptoms develop gradually when they do occur. The course of CLL is unpredictable, but some patients live
many years even without treatment. Others will require chemotherapy at an early stage. As in CML, it may be
helpful to remove the spleen if it has enlarged massively. Patients with CLL are at increased risk of
developing other forms of cancer.
Incidence
Leukemia strikes persons of both sexes and all ages, but is twice as common in males than in females.
About 25,000 Americans develop the disease annually; nine of every ten are adults. More than half of all
leukemic patients are older than 60 years. ALL is the type of leukemia found in a large majority of affected
children. In adults, the most common types are AML and CLL. CML is the least common type of leukemia in
any age group.
In the late 1990s, leukemia accounted for about 16,000 deaths each year. Because ALL is the deadliest type
of leukemia, children are likelier than adults to die from it. In fact, no other disease is responsible for more
child deaths in the United States.
Causes
What actually causes the developing white blood cells to change so drastically is not clear. Some researchers
suspect that viruses, radiation, or chemicals in the environment (such as benzene, a chemical compound
present in lead-free gasoline) might account for some cases of leukemia. A rare form of ALL may be due to a
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virus similar to the one that causes AIDS. The disease runs in some families, and occurs unexpectedly often
in persons with certain conditions such as Down syndrome and Fanconi's syndrome. Some of the drugs used
to treat other forms of cancer may themselves produce leukemia.
Symptoms
Although each major type of leukemia tends to affect persons of a certain age and to run its own typical
course, the symptoms have much in common, as do the methods used to diagnose leukemia and the
treatments used. The earliest symptoms may be similar to the flu: fever, body aches, fatigue. However, with
leukemia, the symptoms do not get better. Instead the patient continues to run a fever, feels progressively
weaker, and tires more rapidly when active. The effects of not having enough normal blood cells are soon
noted. A shortage of red blood cells, or anemia, explains why patients are easily fatigued and appear pale.
Red blood cells carry oxygen to the tissues of the body. Without adequate oxygen, these cells cannot function
efficiently, and the patient tires easily. Too few normal leukocytes result in repeated infections, often very
serious ones. The decreased number of platelets prevent proper blood clotting, leading to prolonged bleeding
from cuts and easy bruising.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Leukemia can easily be diagnosed—once it is suspected—by finding the abnormal blast cells in a blood
smear or a sample of bone marrow. The primary treatment for leukemia is chemotherapy. A drug that impairs
the ability of cells to divide will help eliminate the rapidly dividing leukemic cells while doing less harm to
newly formed cells that have not yet become cancerous. Radiotherapy is also used in some cases. This
involves exposing the patient to controlled doses of radiation. It sometimes is necessary to replace the
patient's diseased bone marrow with normal marrow from a donor, preferably a close relative. Another option
is to remove the patient's marrow, treat it outside the body, and then return it to the patient.
Compared to the 1960s, patients in the late 1990s were twice as likely to survive leukemia. With expert
treatment, more than 70 percent of leukemic children will do well. It is in the ALL form of the disease that
progress has been most striking; the chance of living five years after diagnosis rose from four percent in the
early 1960s to 52 percent by the mid-1980s.
Despite the advances made in medicine, leukemia remains a very serious disorder. Overall, fewer than 40
percent of all patients will survive five years after initial diagnosis.
Citation :
You can copy and paste this information into your own documents.
"leukemia." Compton's by Britannica. 01 Aug. 2011: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 10 Sep.
2014.
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