How long leukemia

They may crowd out normal white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets , making it hard for the normal cells to do their work.

Chronic and acute leukemias are completely different diseases, and they progress at different speeds. Leukemia is the name given to several types of cancer that begin in the tissue that creates blood cells.

To understand leukemia, it helps to know how normal blood cells form. Acute leukemias — which are incredibly rare — are the most rapidly progressing cancer we know of. The white cells in the blood grow very quickly, over a matter of days to weeks. Sometimes a patient with acute leukemia has no symptoms or has normal blood work even a few weeks or months before the diagnosis.

The change can be quite dramatic. Extreme fatigue is usually the first symptom that causes acute leukemia patients to seek medical care.

At the time of diagnosis, patients can have very, very high white blood cell counts. Typically a healthy person has a white blood cell count of about 4,, Patients with acute or even chronic leukemia may come in with a white blood cell count up into the ,, range. When you have that many white cells in your blood vessels, it can impair blood flow, because you have 20 to 40 times the normal number of cells in the blood vessels. And these are not normal cells — they are tumor cells, so they can stick together, and they can also stick to the blood vessels.

Leukemia is a broad category of cancers that affect white blood cells. The American Cancer Society estimate that there will be around 60, new cases of leukemia in the United States in , resulting in 24, deaths. There are many different types of leukemia. Which type a person develops depends on which white blood cells are affected, as well as some other factors. Leukemia can prevent white blood cells from fighting infections and cause them to multiply uncontrollably.

This overgrowth can cause overcrowding of the healthy blood cells, leading to severe problems throughout the body. Latest figures show that the 5-year survival rate for all subtypes of leukemia is It is also one of the most common cancers for people under age The survival rate is higher for younger people.

According to the National Cancer Institute , the percentage of deaths by age group are as follows:. While there is currently no cure for leukemia, it is possible to treat the cancer to prevent it coming back. Treatment can last several months or even years depending on the type and severity of the condition.

There are to types of blood cancers and related disorders. These cancers involve blood cells, the bone marrow, the lymph nodes and other parts of the lymphatic system. The main types of blood cancers include:. Stem cells are a class of cells that have the ability to develop into any of several specialized types of cells, such as red or white blood cells or platelets.

Most blood cancers result from an acquired as opposed to a genetic or inherited mutation to the DNA of a stem cell that produces lymphatic or blood-forming cells. With blood cancers, abnormal cells multiply much more rapidly — and are less likely to die naturally — than healthy cells. Advances in the understanding of the genetics and mechanisms of blood cancers have opened new and exciting avenues in diagnosing, treating and managing blood cancers.

More information is provided in each of the specific blood cancer sections which follow. Unless otherwise noted, statistical information is from Canadian Cancer Society Statistics An estimated , people in Canada are living with, or are in remission from, the following forms of blood cancer:. There are four major types of leukemia. Because of differences in the characteristics of the different types of leukemia, there are also differences in how they are treated. In understanding the four major types of leukemia, it is helpful to understand the following terms.

In all forms of leukemia, the proliferation of abnormal, non-functional cells in the bone marrow and blood interferes with the production of normal, fully-functional red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets. As a result, people with leukemia may develop anemia, have a reduced ability to fight infections, and may experience blood clotting disorders. Within each type of leukemia, there can be several sub-types depending upon the cancer cells involved, how mature they are, and how different they are from normal cells.

Treatment options vary according to the type of leukemia and other factors, such as age and general health. Leukemia is cancer of the body's blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system. Many types of leukemia exist. Some forms of leukemia are more common in children. Other forms of leukemia occur mostly in adults. Leukemia usually involves the white blood cells.

Your white blood cells are potent infection fighters — they normally grow and divide in an orderly way, as your body needs them. But in people with leukemia, the bone marrow produces an excessive amount of abnormal white blood cells, which don't function properly. Treatment for leukemia can be complex — depending on the type of leukemia and other factors. But there are strategies and resources that can help make your treatment successful.

Leukemia symptoms vary, depending on the type of leukemia. Common leukemia signs and symptoms include:. Make an appointment with your doctor if you have any persistent signs or symptoms that worry you. Leukemia symptoms are often vague and not specific.