In today’s society, leukemia affects many people. A high number of cases of malignancy are identified to be leukemia. Leukemia is a type of blood and bone marrow cancer. Overproduction of immature blood cells (stem cells), which are unable to properly develop and perform the functions of normal blood cells, is one of the disease’s hallmarks.
Red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are the three diverse types of cells found in normal blood, each with distinct structures and functions. These three types of blood cells are created through the process of hematopoiesis from a special form of blood cell called a stem cell. To eventually produce a mature blood cell of a certain kind with a specific, unique function in the body, stem cells divide and go through multiple stages of development. The bone marrow is where a stem cell undergoes the transformation into an adult blood cell.
There are 2 types of leukemia: acute leukemia and chronic leukemia, depending on the rate of development and recurrence of the condition. Chronic leukemia is known to develop slowly, whereas acute leukemia is known to develop very quickly. Leukemia can be either lymphocytic or myelogenous depending on the types of blood cells that are damaged by the condition.
The lymphocytic type of leukemia develops from lymphoblasts or lymphocytes in the spongy tissue of the bones, whereas the myelogenous type of leukemia (also known as myeloid and myelocytic leukemia) develops from myeloid cells. Lymphocytic and myelogenous leukemia are caused by different types of cells.
The aberrant cells in acute leukemia are made up of young, immature cells. Due to the normal stem cells’ propensity to often multiply, many disorders develop at a relatively rapid rate. Leukemia cells often do not divide more rapidly or frequently than normal stem cells; instead, they simply fail to stop dividing when they ought to. While they may occasionally be low or normal, white blood cell counts can also occasionally be extremely high.
All ages are affected by leukemia. Adults have a difficult time coping with this type of cancer, whereas children typically respond better to the treatment for leukemia and occasionally deal well with the disease.
Numerous people are given leukemia diagnoses, regardless of their age or gender. Some forms of leukemia tend to affect children more favorably than they do adults, who have a harder time dealing with the illness.
Acute leukemia cases are about 10% more common than chronic leukemia cases. Acute leukemia appears to have the greatest impact on older persons. Acute leukemia cases seem to affect people over the age of 60 in about two thirds of instances.
General Leukemia Facts
