Understanding Leukemia - Outline By Mark Williams

Suite101.Com just posted the following outline,Understanding Leukemia. Good, basic and an easy read:

Leukemia: Common Types, Symptoms and Treatment
Jan 29, 2010 Mark Williams

Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood that is characterized by an uncontrolled accumulation of blood cells. There are four major types of leukemia.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
CLL affects lymphoid cells and usually grows slowly. It accounts for more than 15,000 new cases of leukemia each year. Most often, people diagnosed with the disease are over age 55. It almost never affects children. Many people with CLL live good-quality lives for years with medical care. There are a number of treatments for CLL. In recent years new therapies have been approved and other possible new treatments are being studied in clinical trials. Progress toward a cure is underway.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
CML affects myeloid cells and usually grows slowly at first. It accounts for nearly 5,000 new cases of leukemia each year. It mainly affects adults. It is estimated that approximately 22,475 people in the United States are living with CML (SEER, National Cancer Institute, 2009). Three new CML drugs (Gleevec®, Sprycel® and Tasinga®) have been approved since 2001. Other new treatments are being studied in clinical trials. Progress toward a cure is under way and the number of people with CML who are living well today is growing.

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
Other names for ALL are acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute lymphoid leukemia. About 5,430 people in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with ALL in 2008. It is the most common type of leukemia in children under age 15. The risk of getting ALL increases in people ages 45 and older. However, people can get ALL at any age.Most children with ALL are cured of their disease after treatment.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
AML affects myeloid cells and grows quickly. It accounts for more than 13,000 new cases of leukemia each year. It occurs in both adults and children. AML starts with a change to a single cell in the bone marrow. With AML, the leukemic cells are often referred to as blast cells. Medical researchers are working to understand the cell changes that lead to AML. Down syndrome and other uncommon genetic disorders such as Fanconi anemia and Shwachman-Diamond syndrome and others are associated with an increased risk of AML.

This helps me! I always mix-up the different leukemia types.
Feel good and keep smiling! Pat