Leukemia

Leukemia is a cancer of a body’s early blood-forming cells that hinders the body’s ability

to fight infection and usually involves white blood cells. White blood cells fight infection and

grow and divide in an orderly way. However, those with leukemia have an abnormal amount of

white blood cells. Leukemia most commonly occurs in adults older than 55 but is also the most

common cancer in children younger than 15.

Though the exact cause of leukemia is unknown, scientists believe it derives from a

combination of genetic and environmental factors. Some factors that may increase one’s risk of

developing leukemia include previous cancer treatment, genetic disorders, exposure to certain

chemicals, smoking, and family history. Scientists believe it occurs when blood cells experience

genetic mutations. A healthy blood cell’s DNA would tell the cell to grow and die at a set rate

and time, but in leukemia, the cell’s mutations instruct the blood cells to keep growing and

dividing, leading the blood cell production in one’s body to spiral out of control. These abnormal

cells eventually crowd out the healthy blood cells in the bone marrow and lead to fewer healthy

blood cells.

Doctors classify leukemia in two ways: by the speed of its progression and by what type

of cells leukemia affects. In acute leukemia, the abnormal blood cells are blasts (immature blood

cells). Because they cannot carry out their functions properly and multiply rapidly, the disease

worsens quickly, requiring immediate attention. Chronic leukemia involves more mature blood

cells that can replicate or accumulate more slowly and function properly for some time. Because

of this, some forms of chronic leukemia may go undiagnosed for years. Lymphocytic leukemia

affects the lymphocytes, which form lymphoid or lymphatic tissue (lymphatic tissue makes up

your immune system). Myelogenous leukemia affects the myeloid cells (which give rise to red

blood cells, white blood cells, and platelet-producing cells). The main types of leukemia are the

following: ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia), which is the most common type of leukemia in

young children but can also occur in adults; AML (acute myelogenous leukemia), which is a

common type of leukemia that occurs in children and adults but is the most common type of

leukemia in adults; CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) which is the most common chronic

adult leukemia; and CML (chronic myelogenous leukemia) which mainly affects adults, and may

not show any symptoms for long periods before leukemia worsens quickly.

Treatment for leukemia varies depending on the patient’s age, overall health, type of

leukemia, and its effect on the body. Many treatments for fighting leukemia include

chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, bone marrow transplant, immunotherapy, and

chimeric antigen receptor cell therapy. Chemotherapy is the most common treatment for

leukemia and involves using chemicals to kill leukemia cells. Targeted therapy focuses on

specific abnormalities present within cancer cells and targets those cancer cells to kill them.

Radiation therapy utilizes X-rays and other high-energy beams to damage leukemia cells and

help stop their growth. Bone marrow transplants, also known as stem cell transplants, help to

reestablish healthy stem cells by replacing unhealthy bone marrow. Immunotherapy uses one’s

immune system to fight cancer and interferes with one’s body to allow one to attack cancer cells. CAR)-T cell therapy (chimeric antigen receptor cell therapy) is a specialized treatment that takes your body’s germ-fighting T cells and engineers them to fight cancer before infusing them into your body again.