Leukemia -- Adult
- White blood cells (WBC), also called lymphocytes, are most often involved in leukemia. Their main job is to help the immune system.
- Red blood cells (RBC) carry oxygen throughout the body.
- Platelets help the blood clot at injury sites.
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
- Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
|White Blood Cells|
|Leukemia cells outnumber healthy white blood cells and gather in spleen and lymph nodes.|
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- Current or past smoking is strongly associated with AML. Risk is compounded by how much you smoked and for how long.
- AML and CLL are most common in adults over 60 years.
- ALL is most common in children.
- Chemotherapy for previous cancer.
- Some genetic diseases such as Down syndrome.
- Chronic exposure to benzene that exceeds federally approved safety limits.
- Previous radiation therapy.
- Myelodysplastic syndrome—A blood disease, which increases risk for AML.
- Fever or night sweats
- Flu-like symptoms
- Minor cuts that heal slowly
- Excessive reaction to insect bites
- Feeling weak or tired
- Pale skin
- Bleeding and bruising easily
- Bleeding gums
- Tiny red spots under the skin
- Pain in the bones or joints
- Puffy gums
- Difficulty breathing
- Swelling of testicles
- Swelling or discomfort in the abdomen (from enlarged spleen)
- Swollen lymph nodes (particularly in neck or armpit)
- Weight loss
- Meningitis with headache, nausea, loss of muscle control, seizures, symptoms of stroke
- Blood tests—to look for leukemia cells in blood
- Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy—the removal of a sample of bone marrow to look for cancer cells
- Imatinib mesylate—used to treat myeloid leukemia by reducing the number of cancer cells in the blood and bone marrow
- Nilotinib—targeted therapy similar to imatinib
- Dasatinib—targeted therapy similar to imatinib (if leukemia cells become resistant to imatinib)
- Blood transfusions—Healthy blood cells from a donor are given through an IV. This may be done if the leukemia is causing shortness of breath, fatigue, or severe bleeding.
- Bone marrow transplant—Stem cells from a donor’s healthy bone marrow are injected in you. Stem cells can make all types of blood cells. Once injected into your bloodstream, the stem cells should make healthy blood cells.
- Splenectomy—The spleen may need to be removed if it becomes congested with leukemia cells.
Biological Therapy (Immunotherapy)
- If you smoke, talk to your doctor about how you can successfully quit
- Avoid exposure to benzene
- Avoid exposure to high levels of radiation when possible
American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org
Canadian Cancer Society http://www.cancer.ca
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada http://www.llscanada.org
Cecil R, Goldman L, et al. Cecil Textbook of Medicine. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders Company; 2000.
Conn HF, Rakel RE. Conn's Current Therapy 2001. 53rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders Company; 2001.
Leukemia. American Cancer Society website. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/leukemia/index. Accessed December 12, 2014.
Leukemia. National Cancer Institute website. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/leukemia. Accessed December 12, 2014.
Leukemia. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society website. Available at: http://www.lls.org/diseaseinformation/leukemia. Accessed December 12, 2014.
Noble J. Textbook of Primary Care Medicine. 3rd ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, Inc.; 2001.
A PET scan may improve leukemia care. UW HealthAvailable website. Available at: http://www.uwhealth.org/news/a-pet-scan-may-improve-leukemia-care/14001. Accessed December 12, 2014.
8/26/2014 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed: Fircanis S, Merriam P, et al. The relation between cigarette smoking and risk of acute myeloid leukemia: An updated meta-analysis of epidemiological studies. Am J Hematol. 2014;89(8):E125-E132.
- Reviewer: Mohei Abouzied, MD, FACP
- Review Date: 12/2014 -