Particularities of Different Types of Leukemia

Leukemia is a form of cancer that occurs at the level of the spinal marrow. Inside the spinal marrow there is a type of immature blood cells that are called stem cells. These cells have a neutral initial state and later develop into different types of blood cells (white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets). Leukemia interferes in the normal process of cell maturation, leading to an accumulation of partially developed blood cells in the marrow, blood and later in body organs. Most of these resulted cells are inefficient inside the organism, as they can’t carry out the activity of normal blood cells.

Depending on to the rate of development, the disease can either be acute leukemia (developing very rapidly), or chronic leukemia (slow developing).  

Particular to acute leukemia is the inability of stem cells (immature cells that can be found within the bone marrow) to reach the state of maturity. These immature blood cells tend to continuously divide and they accumulate in the bloodstream. Acute leukemia develops very rapidly and people who suffer from it need immediate treatment and specific therapy. If mistreated or ignored, acute leukemia causes the death of affected patients within a few months. While certain forms of acute leukemia are usually successfully treated, other forms don’t respond well to the specific treatment.

A characteristic of the chronic type of leukemia is that the diseased cells usually come from more mature cells, but in most cases they aren’t developed normally. The leukemia cells have long periods of life and they tend to accumulate within the bloodstream. Although normal people have between 5000 and 10000 white blood cells in their body, people who suffer from chronic leukemia may have more than 100000.

Lymphocytic and myelogenous types of leukemia are developed from different types of cells:  the lymphocytic type of leukemia develops from cells called lymphoblasts or lymphocytes in the spongious tissue of the bones, while the myelogenous type of leukemia (sometimes refered to as myeloid and myelocytic leukemia) develops from myeloid cells. Judging by the types of cells involved in the development of leukemia and by the rate of cellular division specific to each form of the disease, the main types of leukemia are: acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

In addition to the common forms of chronic leukemia, there are also some rare types. Hairy cell leukemia (HCL), just like chronic lymphocytic leukemia, has a slow progression. The cells of hairy cell leukemia are different from other diseased cells mainly through their aspect. Hairy cell leukemia doesn’t usually respond well to treatment.  Prolymphocytic leukemia is a very rare and unusual form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Some cancers, called lymphomas, are caused by abnormal blood cells that are present in the lymph nodes, liver, spleen or other organs. These particular types of cancer don’t occur at the levels of the bone marrow and have a development that is not characteristic to most forms of lymphocytic leukemia.

Different Forms of Acute Leukemia

Leukemia is a disease of the bone marrow and blood that is known to affect normal blood cell production. Normal blood cells have a limited period of life and they need to be constantly replaced by fresh, young cells to carry on their activity. There is a type of cell within the bone marrow (stem cell) that matures into the type of blood cells that the body needs. In normal condition, these stem cells develop either into red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets, into a controlled way. Leukemia perturbs the normal development of blood cells and causes the accumulation of partially developed cells, that aren’t able to fulfill their role inside the organism.

Judging by the speed of development and the persistence of the disorder, there are two types of leukemia: acute leukemia and chronic leukemia. Judging by the types of stem cells affected by the disorder, leukemia can either be lymphocytic or myelogenous.

Acute leukemia differs from chronic leukemia by the levels that stem cells are able to reach in their development (stem cells that present anomalies still manage to partially develop and either resemble immature cells or complete, normal white blood cells).

Inside the body of people who suffer from acute leukemia of myelogenous, the bone marrow produces stem cells which form a kind of partially matured white blood cell called myeloblast. This type of blood cell doesn’t reach a full maturity state and can’t carry out its intended role. Myelogenous cells tend to multiply very fast and exceed the numbers of healthy blood cells, facilitating the occurrence of anemia, infections and weakening the immune system of the body. The diseased cells can also spread to other places of the organism, such as organs. 

As statistics indicate, there are lots of annual cases of the disease, acute leukemia of myelogenous form being the most common type of leukemia. Although the disease is known to regress quickly when the appropriate treatment is administered, if left untreated it may cause the death of the affected person. This form of leukemia tends to recidivate and it can redevelop with time.

Regardless of age and sex, many people are diagnosed with forms of leukemia. Children tend to respond better to some types of leukemia, while adults difficultly cope with the disease. The cases of acute leukemia exceed those of chronic leukemia by approximately 10 percent. Older adults seem to be affected the most by acute leukemia. Around two thirds of acute leukemia cases seem to occur after the age of 60. Leukemia is a serious form of cancer and it needs immediate treatment. If treated correctly, especially in its incipient stages, leukemia can be successfully overcome.