01/09/2025
Leukemia
A cancer of the blood-forming tissues (bone marrow and lymphatic system) leading to abnormal, uncontrolled production of white blood cells (WBCs). These abnormal cells crowd out normal blood cells.
🛑Types of Leukemia
Classified by speed of progression (acute vs chronic) and cell line affected (lymphoid vs myeloid):
1. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
• Most common in children
• Rapid progression
2. Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
• Common in adults
• Fast-growing
3. Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
• Usually in older adults
• Slow progression
4. Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
• Adults, associated with Philadelphia chromosome (t(9;22))
• Can progress to acute phase (“blast crisis”)
🛑Risk Factors
• Radiation or chemotherapy exposure
• Benzene or chemical exposure
• Genetic syndromes (e.g., Down syndrome)
• Family history of leukemia
🛑Symptoms (due to bone marrow failure + infiltration)
• Anemia → fatigue, pallor, shortness of breath
• Low platelets (thrombocytopenia) → bleeding, bruising, petechiae
• Low normal WBCs → infections, fever
• Bone/joint pain
• Lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly
• Night sweats, weight loss
🛑Diagnosis
• CBC → anemia, leukocytosis/leukopenia, thrombocytopenia
• Peripheral smear → presence of blasts
• Bone marrow biopsy → definitive
• Cytogenetics (e.g., Philadelphia chromosome in CML)
🛑Treatment
• Acute leukemias (ALL, AML) → chemotherapy, targeted therapy, sometimes bone marrow/stem cell transplant
• Chronic leukemias (CLL, CML) → may be monitored at first; targeted therapy (e.g., imatinib for CML), chemotherapy, immunotherapy
• Supportive → blood transfusions, antibiotics, growth factors
🛑Complications
• Infections (due to neutropenia)
• Bleeding (low platelets)
• Anemia-related complications
• Tumor lysis syndrome (during treatment)
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