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Understanding Leukemia


When you think of the term “cancer” you often think of a tumor, because the majority of cancers are accompanied by a cancerous tumor that can be removed by surgery and/or undergoing certain therapies. The difference between leukemia and any other cancer is that leukemia does not have a tumor associated with it. Often the leukemia cells form in the bone marrow and affect the quantities of blood cells. Bone marrow is a very important part of the body, it releases blood cells into the bloodstream. Without the help of bone marrow we could not produce white blood cells which are needed to fight infection, red blood cells which carry oxygen, or platelets which we need to stop bleeding, without it we would simply not function; which is why it is important to catch leukemia as early as possible since it is located within the bone marrow. 


Types of Leukemia 


The term “Leukemia” is very broad considering that there are over six different kinds that could be diagnosed. The most common variant is called Acute Lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). This kind most commonly occurs in children 2 - 10 years old and males have a slightly higher risk than females. This kind of leukemia often starts in the lymphoid cells of the bone marrow and spreads through the blood to other parts of the body. While this is the most common leukemia in general, Acute leukemia (AML) is the most common aggressive type of leukemia and is more often diagnosed in adults. It is very similar to ALL in the way that it spreads, but it is first formed in the myeloid cells of the bone marrow instead of the lymphoid cells. 


Much like AML, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) are both formed in the myeloid cells of the bone marrow. The main difference between CML and AML is that CML lacks any symptoms. Even though almost every type of leukemia does not show symptoms early on, CML is the only one that may go undetected for years. As for CMML, the difference between this type of leukemia and others is that it can turn into AML if not diagnosed early on; this is the only kind of leukemia that can turn into a different type. 


Lastly, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)  is the most common slow-growing leukemia. This kind of leukemia often affects older adults and it is first formed in the white blood cells; it slowly progresses to the rest of the body. 


Treatment and diagnosis


Leukemia has been known to be very hard to diagnose due to the lack of symptoms that the patient may experience early on. A doctor may use blood tests and/or a bone marrow test to diagnose this kind of cancer. Sometimes the patient would undergo a physical exam, but it is not likely that there would be any physical indication of leukemia unless it is in the later stages. Even though the diagnosis may seem simple, the treatment is anything but. 


Much like any other cancer, leukemia has various treatment options to choose from. The most common treatments include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, bone marrow transplant/stem cell transplant, and immunotherapy. You may have heard of chemotherapy and radiation therapy before, but a bone marrow transplant is specific to cancers that do not have a tumor. This transplant is a procedure where healthy blood cells get infused into the body to replace the bone marrow that does not produce healthy enough blood cells. 


Conclusion


It is important to understand leukemia due to how common it is and the lack of symptoms. In 2020, there were approximately 474,519 diagnosed cases of leukemia; in that same year there were about 311,594 leukemia related deaths. The only way to decrease these numbers in the future is to be educated and know when to see a doctor. There are thousands of stories where someone will go to the ER for a broken bone and end up getting diagnosed with cancer. If you feel something off, get it checked out, you never know it might just save your life.


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