According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 245,000 people are alive who have leukemia and the survival rate for leukemia has increased more than four times over the past 48 years. Treatment for leukemia is focused on the intent to bring patients into complete remission. Symptoms of relapse after remission are the same as those which manifest when the disease initially appears. Once remission is reached, it is important to continue to monitor leukemia patients to watch for these symptoms which may indicate relapse.
Types of Leukemia
There are four types of leukemia base on the speed of growth and characteristics. Lymphocytic leukemia indicates that the cancer develops in the lymphoid cells. Myelogenous leukemia develops in the myeloid cells. Either can be considered acute (rapidly increasing) or chronic (slower growing) and in which more mature cells exist. These are called: Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML).
ALL Symptoms
The symptoms for acute lymphocytic leukemia are caused by the which migrate through the bloodstream and multiply in organs such as the brain, liver, spleen, lymph nodes and testes. This causes fatigue, weakness and fever. Due to the low levels of platelets, patients often experience nosebleeds or frequent bruises. Headaches and vomiting are common as is joint and bone pain. ALL is most commonly diagnosed among children ages 2 to 5 and adults older than 45.
AML Symptoms
Acute myelocyte leukemia is the most common adult leukemia. Symptoms are due to the increasing number of leukemia cells and decreasing number of normal, healthy blood cells. This results in weakness, pale skin and shortness of breath due to the lack of oxygen reaching the cells of the body. Bleeding increases due reduced platelets and infections increase as healthy white blood cell count drops. As the leukemia cells increase there is often joint or bone pain.
CLL Symptoms
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is most common in older adults and rare in children. Frequently those who have CLL do not show any symptoms. Symptoms that can appear are increased infections, painless and enlarged lymph nodes in the underarm, stomach or neck area, night sweats, fatigue and fever. Unexplained weight loss and a sense of fullness or pain below the ribs are also symptoms. CLL is typically discovered during the course of a routine blood test.
CML Symptoms
Chronic myelogenous leukemia is a less common form of leukemia and is also known as chronic myeloid leukemia and chronic granulocyte leukemia. Most CLM patients are adults, although children can develop the disease. This disease has three phases: chronic, accelerated and blast. In the chronic phase, there are fewer and milder symptoms of infection. The accelerated phase causes symptoms of anemia and swelling of the spleen. In the blast phase infections increase, as does difficulty breathing, bleeding, fatigue, bone and stomach pain.
Tags: leukemia cells, leukemia chronic, lymphocytic leukemia, bone pain, four types