Learn About Leukemia
Leukemia is a type of blood cancer that begins in the bone marrow. Bone marrow is the soft tissue in the center of the bones, where blood cells are produced.
The term leukemia means white blood. White blood cells (leukocytes) fight infections and other foreign substances. Leukocytes are made in the bone marrow.
Leukemia leads to an uncontrolled increase in the number of white blood cells.
The cancerous cells prevent healthy red cells, platelets, and mature white cells (leukocytes) from being made. Life-threatening symptoms can then develop as normal blood cells decline.
The cancer cells can spread to the bloodstream and lymph nodes. They can also travel to the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system) and other parts of the body.
Leukemia can affect children and adults.
Leukemias are divided into two major types:
- Acute (which progresses quickly)
- Chronic (which progresses more slowly)
The main types of leukemia are:
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
- Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
- Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill
Joshua Zeidner is a Hematologist Oncology specialist and a Hematologist in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dr. Zeidner and is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Leukemia. His top areas of expertise are Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), Leukemia, Bone Marrow Aspiration, and Bone Marrow Transplant. Dr. Zeidner is currently accepting new patients.
University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill
Deborah Stephens is a Hematologist and an Oncologist in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dr. Stephens and is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Leukemia. Her top areas of expertise are Chronic B-Cell Leukemia (CBCL), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL), Bone Marrow Aspiration, and Bone Marrow Transplant. Dr. Stephens is currently accepting new patients.
Duke Health Integrated Practice Inc
Harry Erba is an Oncologist and a Hematologist in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Erba and is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Leukemia. His top areas of expertise are Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Leukemia, Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), Bone Marrow Aspiration, and Bone Marrow Transplant. Dr. Erba is currently accepting new patients.
Common conditions include: Acute Erythroid Leukemia (AEL), Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), Acute Megakaryoblastic Leukemia, Acute Monoblastic Leukemia (AmoL)
Background: Blood cancers (such as leukemias or lymphomas) often do not respond to standard treatments. A transplant of blood stem cells from a healthy donor can help people with these cancers. Sometimes these transplants cause serious side effects, including a common immunologic problem called graft-versus-host disease. A drug called cyclophosphamide given early after the transplant (post-transplantation cyc...
Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children. About 90% of children and young adults who are treated for ALL can now be cured. But if the disease comes back, the survival rate drops to less than 50%. Better treatments are needed for ALL relapses.
Published Date: March 31, 2024
Published By: Todd Gersten, MD, Hematology/Oncology, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, Wellington, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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Brown JR. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 169.
Hunger SP, Teachey DT, Grupp S, Aplenc R. Childhood leukemia. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Kastan MB, Doroshow JH, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 93.
Radich J. Chronic myeloid leukemia. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 170.
Walter RB, Appelbaum FA. The acute leukemias. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 168.