types of leukemia

Leukemia Types of leukemia


 

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Leukemia
Leukemia occurs when certain cells become cancerous and infiltrate the bone marrow. Know what risk factors predispose to develop this blood cancer and the options to combat it.
Written by Esther Martín, Medical student at the University of Alcalá de Henares
Types of leukemia
Types of leukemia

    What is leukemia
    Causes of leukemia
    Types of leukemia
    Symptoms of leukemia
    Diagnosis of leukemia
    Treatment of leukemia
    Prognosis of leukemia

There are several criteria for classifying leukemias. A form of classification is based on its natural history:

    De novo: when they occur without there being a previous process that triggers the disease.
    Secondary: when there is a previous process that leads to leukemia, such as a blood disease.

Another way of classifying them is based on the type of blood cell in which the malignant transformation begins, and on the rate of progression of the disease. In the case of acute leukemias, their development is very fast, while chronic leukemias progress slowly. In addition, the leukemias can be:

    Lymphoblastic: when they affect the lymphocytes (variety of leukocytes of the bone marrow).
    Myeloblastic or myelocytic: affecting the precursor cell of the myeloid series or red series (of red blood cells and platelets).

Acute lymphatic leukemia

In acute lymphatic leukemia, the cells that should be transformed into lymphocytes become cancerous and replace the normal cells of the bone marrow, and they spread to other organs (liver, spleen, kidneys, brain, lymph nodes ...) where they continue to proliferate , and cause diseases such as meningitis, anemia, kidney and liver failure, etc. It is the most frequent cancer in children.
Chronic lymphatic leukemia

Chronic lymphatic leukemia affects especially people over 60, and more men than women. The cancerous lymphocytes increase in the lymph nodes, then spread to the liver and spleen, and subsequently invade the bone marrow. This disease progresses slowly, and the prognosis depends on factors such as the number of lymphocytes in the blood and bone marrow, the severity of the anemia, and the ability of the patient's immune system to fight off the infections it may contract.
AML

Acute myeloid leukemia is characterized because it is the myelocytes (the cells that should become granulocytes) that become cancerous and replace the normal cells of the bone marrow. As in the previous case, the leukemic cells travel through the bloodstream and settle in other organs, where they continue to grow and divide, causing various conditions (tumors, anemia, meningitis ...) and damaging other organs. This type of leukemia affects people of any age, but especially adults, and is related to exposure to large doses of radiation and the use of chemotherapy to treat other conditions.
Chronic myeloid leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia, which affects people of all ages and sexes (although it is not common in young children), has anemia and thrombocytopenia (lack of platelets in the blood). Leukemic cells originate mostly in the bone marrow, but also in the spleen and liver. With the progression of the disease, patients usually present fever, fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite and weight, enlarged lymph nodes and hemorrhage.