Leukemia Sami Sasala

Brooke McVayTiffany Vandiver

A malignant progressive disease in which the bone marrow and other blood-flowing organs produce increased numbers of immature or abnormal leukocytes. These suppress the production of normal blood cells, leading to anemia and other symptoms.

What is it?

The following factors increase your chance in getting leukemia:

• Smoking and tobacco use • Being exposed to large amounts of radiation • Being exposed to certain chemicals in the workplace• Past chemotherapy or radiation for another cancer. (This is

rare, and not all chemotherapies raise your leukemia risk.)

Leukemia is not necessarily inherited, however, people with cancer is their families have a higher chance is getting it.

Leukemia can be environmentally induced if exposed to radiation other harmful chemicals.

What causes Leukemia? Is it inherited? Is it environmentally

induced?

•It weakens your immune system

•Causes you to bruise very easily

•Effects bone marrow- bone marrow stops producing white and red blood cells

What effect does it have on the body?

There are no stages classified for leukemia but there is a progression order to figure out treatment plans and how far it has spread.

types of leukemia-acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)Adult child-untreated -standard(low) risk-remission -high-recurrent -recurrentAcute myeloid leukemia(AML)-whether it has spread outside blood

or bone marrowchronic lymphocytic leukemia(LLL)-stages 0 to 4chronic myelogenous leukemia(CML)chronicacceleratedblasticrelapsed

Stages

most common treatments -

Chemotherapy-uses chemicals to kill leukemia cellsRadiation-uses X-ray with high energy to kill the cells and to prevent

growth.Stem cell transplant -to replace bad cells with healthy cells.The treatment is based on many things such as age, type of leukemia,how far its spread and what the doctor prefers.

Treatment

signs-weak, frequent infection,unexplained fever,abnormal bruising or excessive bleeding,enlarged lymph nodes and headaches.

medical tests--blood test to check blood count -biopsy to sample od cells -spinal tap -ct scans-x-rays-MRI-ultrasound

How is it detected?

• Chemotherapy- the use of drugs to fight cancer• Radiation Therapy- uses high doses of

radiation, such as X-Rays, to destroy cancer cells• Stem Cell Transplant- donated cells from a

"matched" donor can rebuild your supply of normal blood cells and your immune system

• Immunotherapy- uses your body's immune system, either directly or indirectly to fight cancer

Is there a cure?

Ways to prevent Leukemia are:•Do not smoke cigarettes

•Do not be exposed to benzene (classed as a hydrocarbon)

•Previous Chemotherapy or Radiation

Is there a way to prevent it?

o Chronic- gets worse slowly and may not cause symptoms for years.

o Acute- gets worse very fast and may make you feel sick right away.

o Lymphocytic- affects white blood cells called lymphocytes

o Myelogenous- affects white blood cells called myelocytesThere are different types of Leukemia depending on how fast it spreads and what white blood cell it affects

Additional Information

•Team AICR (American Institute for Cancer Research)

•Alliance of Genetic Support Groups Inc.

•Cancer Plus- Parent Support Group

Support Groups

•http://www.cancercenter.com •http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/

types/leukemia •http://cancer.about.com/od/

leukemia/a/leukemiaprevent.htm •http://www.medicinenet.com/

leukemia/article.htm

Sources