Thursday, August 23, 2007

LEUKEMIA

People can get leukemia at any age.
In 2007, about and 40,440 adults and 3,800 children are expected to develop leukemia. It is most common in people over age 60. The most common types in adults are AML and CLL. ALL is the most common form of leukemia in children.
For most types of leukemia, the risk factors and possible causes are not known. Most people who have any of the specific risk factors that have been identified do not get leukemia - and most people with leukemia do not have these risk factors.
Leukemia is the general name for four different types of blood cancers. The ways that individuals with leukemia are affected and treated and the rate at which the disease progresses, are different with each type of leukemia.

Leukemia is the general term used to describe four different disease-types called:

Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

The terms lymphocytic or lymphoblastic indicate that the cancerous change takes place in a type of marrow cell that forms lymphocytes. The terms myelogenous or myeloid indicate that the cell change takes place in a type of marrow cell that normally goes on to form red cells, some types of white cells, and platelets.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute myelogenous leukemia are each composed of blast cells, known as lymphoblasts or myeloblasts. Acute leukemias progress rapidly without treatment.
Chronic leukemias have few or no blast cells. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia and chronic myelogenous leukemia usually progress slowly compared to acute leukemias.

From:
The Leukemia&Lymphoma Society
Fighting Blood Cancer
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Did you know that:

-Every five minutes, someone in this country is diagnosed with blood cancer
-Every ten minutes, someone loses the fight.
-Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children.
-Lymphomas are the most common blood cancers.
-The myeloma survival rate is only 32 percent.

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Amazing-Spiritual
Photo: http://halusi.blogspot.com/
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