1. LEUKEMIA
By: Kimberly Gutierrez &
Christy Rodriguez
1

2. WHAT IS LEUKEMIA?
• Leukemia is cancer of the blood cells. It starts in the bone
marrow, the soft tissue inside most bones. Bone marrow is
where blood cells are made.
• When you have leukemia, the bone marrow starts to make a lot
of abnormal white blood cells, called leukemia cells.
• They don't do the work of normal white blood cells, they grow
faster than normal cells, and they don't stop growing when
they should.
• Over time, leukemia cells can crowd out the normal blood
cells. This can lead to serious problems.
2

3. HOW MANY TYPES OF LEUKEMIA
ARE THERE?
•
There are several different types of leukemia. In general, leukemia is grouped
by how fast it gets worse and what kind of white blood cell it affects.
• It may be acute or chronic. Acute leukemia gets worse very fast and may
make you feel sick right away. Chronic leukemia gets worse slowly and may not
cause symptoms for years.
• It may be lymphocytic or myelogenous. Lymphocytic (or lymphoblastic)
leukemia affects white blood cells called lymphocytes. Myelogenous leukemia
affects white blood cells called myelocytes.
The four main types of leukemia are:
•
•
•
•
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
3

4. WHAT CAUSES LEUKEMIA?
Experts don't know what causes leukemia. But some things are known to
increase the risk of some kinds of leukemia. These things are called risk
factors. You are more likely to get leukemia if you:
•
Were exposed to large amounts of radiation.
•
Were exposed to certain chemicals at work, such as benzene.
•
Had some types of chemotherapy to treat another cancer.
•
Have Down Syndrome or some other genetic problems.
•
Smoke.
But most people who have these risk factors don't get leukemia. And most
people who get leukemia do not have any known risk factors.
4

5. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Symptoms may depend on what type of leukemia you have, but
common symptoms include:
•
Fever and night sweats.
•
Headaches.
•
Bruising or bleeding easily.
•
Bone or joint pain.
•
A swollen or painful belly from an enlarged spleen.
•
Swollen lymph nodes in the armpit, neck, or groin.
•
Getting a lot of infections.
•
Feeling very tired or weak.
•
Loosing weight and not feeling hungry.
5

6. HOW TO TREAT LEUKEMIA
•
•
•
•
•
To find out if you have leukemia, a doctor will order blood tests. Leukemia causes a
high level of white blood cells and low levels of other types of blood cells.
If your blood tests are not normal, the doctor may want to do a bone marrow biopsy.
This test lets the doctor look at cells from inside your bone. This can give key
information about what type of leukemia it is so you can get the right treatment.
What type of treatment you need will depend on many things, including what kind of
leukemia you have, how far along it is, and your age and overall health.
If you have acute leukemia, you will need quick treatment to stop the rapid growth of
leukemia cells. In many cases, treatment makes acute leukemia go into remission. Some
doctors prefer the term "remission" to "cure," because there is a chance the cancer
could come back.
Chronic leukemia can rarely be cured, but treatment can help control the disease. If
you have chronic lymphocytic leukemia, you may not need to be treated until you have
symptoms. But chronic myelogenous leukemia will probably be treated right away.
6

7. HOW TO TREAT LEUKEMIA
(CONTINUED)
Treatments for leukemia include:
•
Chemotherapy, which uses powerful medicines to kill cancer cells. This is the main
treatment for most types of leukemia.
•
Radiation therapy uses high-dose X-rays to destroy cancer cells and shrink swollen
lymph nodes or an enlarged spleen. It may also be used before a stem
cell transplant.
•
Stem cells can rebuild your supply of normal blood cells and boost your immune
system. Before the transplant, radiation or chemotherapy may be given to destroy
cells in the bone marrow and make room for the new stem cells. Or it may be given
to weaken your immune system so the new stem cells can get established.
•
Biological therapy is the use of special medicines that improve your body's natural
defenses against cancer.
7

8. VIDEO/PODCAST
Video:
http://www3.mdanderson.org/streams/CompactVideoPlayer2.cfm?xml=mar
keting/config/Vignette-Leukemia-Schorr--cfg
Podcast:
http://www3.mdanderson.org/streams/AudioPlayer.cfm?xml=cfg/CNLMyelodysplastic-Syndrome-Garcia-Manero
8

9. DATA GRAPHS
9

10. BIBLIOGRAPHY
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
www.google.com
www.mdanderson.org
www.google.com/images
www.youtube.edu
www.mayoclinic.com
www.wikipedia.org
www.cancercenter.com
10