What is leukemia?

Answer 1

Childhood leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells in children and teens. There is formation of abnormal white blood cells n the bone marrow which crowd out the healthy cells. Lack of healthy white blood cells cause infection and other problems.

Answer 2

Leukemia (also spelled Leucamia, or leukaemia) is an umbrella term for cancer of the blood-forming tissues or bone marrow, characterized by the production too many blood cells. While most people associate leukemia with an excessive number of white blood cells, certain forms of the cancer produce too many immature red blood cells.

There are four main types:

1. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)

2. Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)

3. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)

4. Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)

Both forms of myelogenous leukemia are more common in adults; acute lymphocytic leukemia is the most typical form seen in children.

ALL, the most common cause of death from disease in children, is characterized by rapidly forming immature red blood cells that have a short life cycle. This causes them to crowd the bone marrow, making it impossible to produce healthy red blood cells.

Chronic leukemia, on the other hand, is caused by the slow build up of mature, abnormal blood cells that have a longer-than-normal life span. As a result, the body tends to produce too many new white blood cells.

According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society, the five-year survival rate for all types of leukemia is approximately 54%; survival rates for lymphocytic leukemia is considerably higher than average, particularly in children.

Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the bone marrow, the soft, spongy center of the bone that produces blood cells.