Leukemia
by: Lily Cornish Pd. 9
What is Leukemia
There are 4 types of Leukemia; Acute lymphocytic leukemia, Acute myeloid leukemia, Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and Chronic myeloid leukemia. Chronic Leukemia is slow growing where as in Acute Leukemia the cells are abnormal and the quantity increase quickly.
Symptoms
Many patients with Chronic Leukemia or slow growing Leukemia won't have an symptoms at all.
Patients with Acute Leukemia or rapid growing Leukemia will have symptoms that include:
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Frequent infections
- Easy bleeding and or bruising
- Mouth ulcer
- Nosebleed
- Pallor
- Red spots on skin
- Shortness of breath
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Weakness
- Pain in bones or joints
Causes
Prevention and Treatments
There are various ways to treat Leukemia. For slow growing Leukemia the treatment might be as little as monitoring it. For more aggressive types of Leukemia patients might need chemotherapy followed by radiation and a stem-cell transplant.
Diagnosis
Probability
Gender: Men are more likely to develop CML, CLL and AML than women.
Age: The risk of most leukemias, with the exception of ALL, typically increases with age.
Family history: Most leukemias have no familial link. However, first degree relatives of CLL patients, or having an identical twin who has or had AML or ALL, may put you at an increased risk for developing the disease.
Genetic diseases: Certain genetic abnormalities, such as Down syndrome, may play a role in the development of leukemia.
Smoking: Although smoking may not be a direct cause of leukemia, smoking cigarettes does increase the risk of developing AML.
Exposure to high levels of radiation: Exposure to high-energy radiation (e.g., atomic bomb explosions) and intense exposure to low-energy radiation from electromagnetic fields (e.g., power lines).
Chemical exposure: Long-term exposure to certain pesticides or industrial chemicals like benzene is considered to be a risk for leukemia.
Approximately every 3 minutes one person in the United States (US) is diagnosed with a blood cancer.
Works Cited
- https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/leukemia.html
- http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/leukemia/basics/causes/con-20024914
- http://www.webmd.com/cancer/tc/leukemia-prevention
- http://www.webmd.com/cancer/lymphoma/understanding-leukemia-treatment
- http://www.cancercenter.com/leukemia/risk-factors/
- https://www.lls.org/http%3A/llsorg.prod.acquia-sites.com/facts-and-statistics/facts-and-statistics-overview/facts-and-statistics