General information about leukemia
Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. Many people perceive this type of cancer as a disease of children, but leukemia affects about ten times as many adults as children. New cases of leukemia number more than 30,000 annually in the United States. The disease is usually fatal without successful treatment. Click here for more leukemia statistics.How does leukemia develop?
In leukemia, cancerous white blood cells multiply rapidly and accumulate within the bone marrow, inhibiting the production of normal white blood cells, normal red blood cells and platelets. This loss of healthy blood cells impairs a person's ability to fight off infection. It also reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood and increases the risk of bleeding. Although leukemia begins in the bone marrow, it can rapidly spread through the blood to the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), testes (testicles) or other organs.The two main types of leukemia are acute leukemia, in which symptoms develop rapidly, and chronic leukemia, in which symptoms may take years to develop. Adults may develop either type of leukemia, but children usually have the acute form. Acute leukemia can be divided in to acute lymphoblastic and acute myeloid leukemia, depending on the white blood cell involved. Chronic leukemia can also be divided into two types: chronic lymphocyte leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia.
The exact cause of most cases of leukemia is not known. During the past few years, however, doctors have made great progress in understanding how certain changes in DNA can cause bone marrow stem cells to develop into leukemia. Also, doctors have determined some factors that may increase the risk of developing the disease such as previous exposure to high levels of radiation, exposure to some anticancer drugs or exposure to certain toxic chemicals. Most children with leukemia, however, do not have any known risk factors.
What are the symptoms of leukemia?
The first indications of leukemia often are vague but may include fatigue, abnormal or excessive bleeding, weakness, weight loss, bone and joint pain, infection, fever, abdominal pain and enlarged spleen, lymph nodes or liver. With chronic leukemia nearly one in five patients have no symptoms at the time of their diagnosis. This form of leukemia often goes undetected for many years until it is identified in a routine blood test.Being diagnosed with cancer, such as leukemia, can be a very sobering and frightening experience. But there is hope! Discover why we believe that natural medicine treatments are the best way to treat leukemia and strengthen the immune system.
