Leukemia treatment relies on the type of malignancy, the stage of the disease (acute or chronic), and the damaged white blood cells.
The chronic variety of leukemia progresses slowly and takes longer to advance, whereas acute leukemia grows swiftly and becomes severe soon.
- The bone marrow or blood are the main areas affected by this type of blood malignancy.
- Consequently, the marrow’s capacity to make healthy blood cells is severely compromised in this type of malignancy, and the patient’s body is overrun with aberrant blood cells.
- A surplus of aberrant WBCs is also produced, which makes it harder for the body to fight infections.
- Leukaemia develops when white blood cells in the bone marrow divide and expand uncontrolled.
- This makes a person more vulnerable to infection by impeding the growth or degeneration of healthy blood cells in the bone marrow.
According to the cells affected and how the disease progresses, the 4 most typical kinds of leukaemia are as follows:
Acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL):
- Children are more likely to develop this kind of leukaemia.
- B or T lymphocytes, which are immature white blood cells, are where it starts.
- These lymphocytes create lymphoid tissues, which strengthen the body’s immune system.
Acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL):
- The most prevalent form of acute leukaemia in adults is acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). AML is known to advance swiftly and can affect any blood component.
- This leukaemia also has a number of subgroups.
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL):
- Nearly a third of instances of leukaemia are this kind of chronic leukaemia. Older persons are often affected by CLL.
- One type of CLL typically advances slowly, and symptoms may not manifest for years after the illness begins.
- There are additional types of CLL that advance quickly.
- The aberrant B lymphocytes start the process, and as they expand and outnumber the normal red blood cells, they overtake them.
Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML):
- Only 10% of instances of leukaemia are this unusual form, which is rare in itself.
- Adults are more likely to develop it than youngsters.
- A genetic alteration in the myeloid cells that transforms them into immature cancer cells causes CML.
- As the slow-growing cancer cells suffocate the healthy blood and bone marrow cells.
Hairy cell leukaemia
- It is a rare form of this condition. The name “hairy cell leukaemia” refers to how the disease appears under a microscope.
- Less than 6,000 persons have affected by HCL annually.
