Leukemia

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• QWhat causes chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)?

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  A Jumo Health answered

  Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), also called chronic myeloid leukemia, is caused by faulty instructions inside the blood stem cells, which causes them to not work properly. Every cell in the body has a set of instructions to make everything it needs. The instructions are divided into books called chromosomes and each page in a book is called a gene.

  Each stem cell has a switch that controls when it divides and what sort of blood cell it divides into. In CML, the gene for making switches has partly been swapped with a gene from another chromosome. That means the instructions for making switches are wrong. When the switch is broken, stem cells make too many of the wrong type of white blood cell.

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• QHow is acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated?

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  A Jumo Health answered

  To treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) doctors may use chemotherapy, which is strong medicine that helps fight the leukemic lymphoblasts. People get the chemotherapy as a pill or liquid to be swallowed, or straight into the bloodstream as an injection or infusion. To stop leukemic lymphoblasts spreading to the brain, chemotherapy is usually given in a different way. This involves an injection into the back, just like a lumbar puncture, but instead of taking fluid out, it puts medicine into the spinal fluid. The doctors might also replace damaged red blood cells or platelets by giving the person a blood transfusion.

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• QWhat causes acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)?

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  A Jumo Health answered

  Doctors don’t know what causes acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). They do know that ALL is not caused by anything the person with ALL did or didn’t do.

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• QHow is leukemia diagnosed?

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  A Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) answered

  Diagnosing leukemia usually begins with a medical history, physical examination and blood test. During the physical exam, your doctor may check for signs of pale skin, bruising, swollen lymph nodes or an enlarged spleen. A complete blood count (CBC) is one of several common tests for leukemia. It measures the amount of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in the blood.

  Your care team may also use other leukemia detection tests to plan and monitor your treatment:

  • Biopsy: Removal of a small amount of tissue to determine the type of leukemia, the growth rate of the tumor and whether the disease has spread.
  • Bone marrow biopsy: Removal of a sample of bone marrow.
  • Lymph node biopsy: Removal of all or part of a lymph node.
  • Lumbar puncture (spinal tap): Removal of cerebrospinal fluid from the spinal cavity in the lower back to determine the extent of the disease.
  • Flow cytometry: A test which passes cancerous cells (stained with a light-sensitive dye) under a laser beam to determine whether the cells contain a normal or abnormal amount of DNA, and the relative rate at which a tumor is growing.
  • Liver function test: A group of blood tests used to measure the amounts of certain enzymes released by the liver in response to damage or disease. An abnormal liver function test may indicate the presence of a disease like leukemia.
  • Imaging tests: Tests that use imaging technologies to produce pictures of the inside of the body.

  Leukemia detection tests can provide information about the extent of leukemia in the body, and the presence of infections or other problems. The following are some types of detection tests:

  • X-ray
  • CT scan
  • PET/CT scan
  • MRI
  • Ultrasound
  • 2D echocardiogram (sometimes)
  • Pulmonary function test (sometimes)

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• QHow is acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) diagnosed?

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  A Jumo Health answered

  To diagnose acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), doctors will start with a blood test. This will show if leukemic lymphoblasts are in the bloodstream. If leukemic lymphoblasts are seen, doctors will take a close look at the bone marrow. To do that, people need a bone marrow aspirate. Aspirate means taking a small sample of cells. A needle is used to remove cells from the bone marrow in the hip bone. It doesn't take long, and people may be given medicines to make them sleepy before the procedure begins.

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• QWhat is acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)?

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  A Jumo Health answered

  Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a disease where there's a problem in the bone marrow. Immature white blood cells in bone marrow called leukemic lymphoblasts are produced out of control. Too many leukemic lymphoblasts means not enough normal white blood cells. The leukemic lymphoblasts build up in the bone marrow, making it very crowded. After a while, there isn't enough space for red or normal white blood cells or platelets. When there’s no more room in the bone marrow, the leukemic lymphoblasts spill out into the bloodstream and spread to other parts of the body, causing trouble there, too.

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• QWhat is leukemia?

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  A Univ. of Nev. School of Medicine, Family Medicine answered

  Leukemia is a cancer that mostly affects the blood and bone marrow, the tissue that makes blood cells. There are several different types of leukemia, some more rare than others, some which affect children more than adults and vice versa, but all share similar characteristics and symptoms. The disease spreads quickly and primarily targets white blood cells forming in the bone marrow.

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• QHow is chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) diagnosed?

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  A Jumo Health answered

  To diagnose chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), also called chronic myeloid leukemia, doctors will do some tests. A blood test shows if there are too many wrong white blood cells in the bloodstream.

  The doctors may also look at the stem cells. For this, a needle is used to remove stem cells from the bone marrow in the hip bone. Once doctors know it’s CML for sure, they can begin treatment.

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• QHow do lymphoblastic and myeloid leukemia differ?

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  A Diana Meeks , Family Medicine, answered on behalf of Sigma Nursing

  The two main categories of leukemia are broken down based on which type of white blood cell the disease affects. In both types, the disease targets cells produced in the bone marrow that are released into the blood stream to fight infections. Collectively known as white blood cells, these cells can actually take on different forms, and different varieties of leukemia will only affect certain types of white blood cells. Lymphoblastic leukemia affects lymphoid cells, while myeloid leukemia affects myeloid cells. Symptoms are generally the same regardless of which cell is affected; the difference is mainly important for deciding what specific type of treatment is necessary.

• QWhat is acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)?

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  A RealAge answered

  Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a cancer that starts in the soft tissue that forms new blood cells deep in the bones in an area known as the bone marrow. In people who have AML, the bone marrow makes abnormal red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets.
  
  From the bone marrow, the cancer typically spreads to the blood and then can spread elsewhere in the body, including the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, central nervous system and, in men, to the testicles. AML is more common in men than in women.
  
  AML may develop quickly and spread aggressively. Early detection is very important. Symptoms of AML include:

  • bruising
  • nosebleeds
  • swollen and/or bleeding gums
  • fever
  • fatigue
  • bone pain or tenderness
  • pale skin
  • heavy menstrual periods (in women)
  • shortness of breath (especially when exercising)
  • skin rash
  • weight loss

  Call your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms.