Leukaemia by

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Leukemia is classified in two ways. First, the disease can be either chronic (slow-growing) or acute (more aggressive).

Second, leukemia is classified based on the types of leukemia cells present. This is determined by where the disease started. Lymphocytic leukemias start in lymphoid cells, and myelogenous leukemias start in myeloid cells.

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML)
Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPNs)

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Adults over 55 years

Children younger than 15

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tiredness that lasts a long time and doesn’t improve with rest (fatigue)
bruising and bleeding more easily
repeated infections and high temperatures (fever)
unexplained weight loss
swollen lymph nodes (glands in your neck, armpit and groin).

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Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing. You can have chemotherapy through a drip into a vein, as a tablet you swallow or by injection under the skin. Some people with leukaemia will need to have high doses or high-intensity chemotherapy, which can cause more side effects. Lower dose or low intensity chemotherapy is usually gentler and causes fewer side effects.

Other drug therapies: There are other drug therapies that can be used on their own or with chemotherapy. Targeted therapies are drugs that work by targeting proteins or genetic changes that cancer cells have, which normal cells don’t have. They are also sometimes called biological therapies or immunotherapy. Examples used for leukaemia are drugs called rituximab and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), but there are others.

Stem cell transplant: Blood stem cells are blood cells at their earliest stage of development. Having a stem cell transplant involves having high doses of chemotherapy to kill the abnormal cells in your bone marrow or lymph nodes, and then receiving new blood stem cells (either your own or from a donor) through a drip. The aim is for these new stem cells to start producing healthy blood cells.

2024-11-21 11:19:37 UTC

12th most common cancer in UK

3% of all new cancers

10,300 new cancers in UK each year

28 every day