Name: Babafemi Bunmi Oluwatosin

Reg No. VU-BNS-2001-0049

Course: Anatomy & Physiology 1
Topic: Leukemia (Blood cancer)

Introduction
Leukemia is a blood cancer caused by a rise in the number of white blood cells in your body.
Those white blood cells crowd out the red blood cells and platelets that the body needs to be
healthy. The extra white blood cells don't work right.
The leukemia is called lymphocytic or lymphoblastic if the cancerous change takes place in a
type of marrow cell that forms lymphocytes. The leukemia is called myelogenous or myeloid if
the cell change takes place in a type of marrow cell that normally goes on to form red cells,
some kinds of white cells and platelets.
For each type of leukemia, patients are affected and treated differently.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia and Acute myelogenous leukemia (acute leukemias) are each
composed of young cells, known as lymphoblasts or myeloblasts. These cells are sometimes
called blasts. Acute leukemias progress rapidly without treatment.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia and Chronic myelogenous leukemia have few or no blast cells. CLL
and CML often progress slowly compared to acute leukemias, even without immediate
treatment.
Doctors do not know the causes of most cases of leukemia. They do know that once the
marrow cell undergoes a leukemic change, the leukemia cells may grow and survive better
than normal cells. Over time, the leukemia cells crowd out or suppress the development of
normal cells.
The rate at which leukemia progresses and how the cells replace the normal blood and marrow
cells are different with each type of leukemia.
 Types of Leukemia

The four main types of leukemia are:

 Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). This is the most common form of childhood leukemia. It

can spread to your lymph nodes and central nervous system.
 Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). This is the second most common form of childhood
leukemia and one of the most common forms for adults.
 Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This is the other most common form of adult
leukemia. Some kinds of CLL will be stable for years and won’t need treatment. But with
others, your body isn’t able to create normal blood cells, and you’ll need treatment.
  Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). With this form, you might not have noticeable
symptoms. You might not be diagnosed with it until you have a routine blood test. People
65 and older have a higher risk of this type.

Leukemia Causes and Risk Factors

No one knows exactly what causes leukemia. People who have it have certain unusual
chromosomes, but the chromosomes don’t cause leukemia.

You can’t prevent leukemia, but certain things may trigger it. You might have a higher risk if you:

 Smoke
 Are exposed to a lot of radiation or certain chemicals
 Had radiation therapy or chemotherapy to treat cancer
 Have a family history of leukemia
 Have a genetic disorder like Down
 A genetic predisposition
 Down syndrome
 Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV)
 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
 Exposure to petrochemicals, such as benzene
 Extensive exposure to artificial ionizing radiation
 Alkylating chemotherapy agents administered to treat other types of cancer
 Tobacco use
 Use of certain hair dyes.

Signs and symptoms

 Fevers
 Night sweats
 Swollen lymph nodes that are usually painless
 Feelings of fatigue, tiredness
 Easy bleeding or bruising, causing bluish or purplish patches on the skin or tiny red spots
on the skin, or recurring nosebleeds
 Frequent infections
 Bone or joint pain
 Weight loss that is unintentional and otherwise unexplained, or loss of appetite
 Enlargement of the spleen or liver, which can lead to abdominal pain or swelling
 Red spots on the skin (petechiae)
If leukemia cells have infiltrated the brain, symptoms such as headaches, seizures, confusion,
loss of muscle control, and vomiting can occur.

Diagnosis
A CBC (complete blood count) is used to diagnose leukemia. A CBC is a test that is also
used to diagnose and manage many other diseases. This blood test may show high or
low levels of white cells and show leukemia cells in the blood. Sometimes, platelet
counts and red cell counts are low. Bone marrow tests (aspiration and biopsy) are often
done to confirm the diagnosis and to look for chromosome abnormalities. These tests
identify the leukemia cell-type.

Microscopic Examination: The blood count will show an abnormally high number of

lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell).

Bone marrow biopsy: To confirm a diagnosis of acute leukemia, the hematologist will take a
small sample of  bone marrow to examine under a microscope. This procedure is known as a
bone marrow biopsy.

Cytogenetic testing: Cytogenetic testing involves identifying the genetic make-up of the

cancerous cells.

CT scans: If patient has acute leukemia, a computerized tomography scan (CT scan) may be
used to check that other organs, such as heart and lungs, are healthy.

Lumbar puncture: If it is felt that there is a risk that acute leukemia has spread to nervous
system, a lumbar puncture may be carried out.
 Treatment

 Chemotherapy
 Radiation
 Biologic therapy
 Targeted therapy
 Stem cell transplant
 Surgery

Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells in your blood and bone marrow. You can get the
medicine:

 Through a shot into a vein or muscle

 As a pill
 Into the fluid around your spinal cord
 Through a shot into a vein or muscle
 As a pill
 Into the fluid around your spinal cord

Radiation uses high-energy X-rays to kill leukemia cells or keep them from growing. You can get it
all over or in only one part of your body where there are a lot of cancer cells.

Biologic therapy, also called  helps your immune system find and attack cancer cells. Drugs like
interleukins and interferon can help boost your body's natural defenses against leukemia.

Targeted therapy uses drugs to block specific genes or proteins that cancer cells need to grow. This
treatment can stop the signals that leukemia cells use to grow and divide, cut off their blood supply,
or kill them directly.

A stem cell transplant replaces the leukemia cells in your bone marrow with new ones that make
blood. Your doctor can get the new stem cells from your own body or from a donor. First, you'll
have high doses of chemotherapy to destroy the cancer cells in your bone marrow. Then, you'll get
the new stem cells through an infusion into one of your veins. They will grow into new, healthy
blood cells.

Surgery. Your doctor can remove your spleen if it’s filled with cancer cells and is pressing on nearby
organs. This procedure is called a splenectomy.
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