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Symptoms of leukemia often include flu-like symptoms, such as chills, night sweats, and fevers.
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Leukemia symptoms can also include weakness and tiredness, headaches, gums that bleed or are swollen, swollen tonsils, pain in the bones, weight loss, paleness, frequent infections, persistent infections, swollen lymph nodes, recurring nose bleeds, tiny red spots in the skin, and an enlarged spleen and liver.
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People with certain types of leukemia can live for many years, sometimes without the need for treatment. CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) often does not require treatment in its early stages.
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People diagnosed with CML (chronic myeloid leukemia) require urgent treatment. This type can be treated with an oral medication if detected early. This is considered a chronic form of leukemia and not necessarily a fatal illness.
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Leukemia is believed to be the result of DNA mutations that occur, but the cause is not yet fully understood. Risk factors are believed to contribute to the disease which can include environmental or genetic factors.
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Some forms of leukemia are most common in adults past the age of 55, but other forms of leukemia are also the most common form of cancer in children 15 years of age and under.
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Risk factors for leukemia are believed to include a strong family history, chemotherapy, Down syndrome, exposure to radiation at high levels, and exposure to certain harmful chemicals on a regular basis.
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The speed at which leukemia progresses is used to classify the disease as either acute (fast progression), or chronic (slow progression).
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Leukemia is also classified by the type of white blood cells being affected. Lymphocytic leukemia affects the lymph cells while myelogenous leukemia affects the myeloid cells which are responsible for the production of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
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The main types of leukemia include ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia), AML (acute myelogenous leukemia), CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia), and CML (chronic myelogenous leukemia).
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Less common forms of leukemia include hairy cell leukemia (mainly affects men), T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (more common in men than women and survival is short-lived), large granular lymphocyctic leukemia (rare and non-aggressive form), and adult T-cell leukemia (similar to HIV).
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Because leukemia affects blood cells and blood clotting, those affected may bruise more easily and bleed excessively when injured.
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Leukemia makes it more difficult to fight off infections, which can be life-threatening in some cases.
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Treatment for leukemia depends upon the specific type of the disease, and can include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, pharmaceutical medication, bone marrow transplant, and experimental treatment in some cases.
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