Types of Leukemia

• Subtype by progression:
  • Acute leukemia - gets worse quickly.
  • Chronic leukemia - gets worse more slowly.
• Type of cell affected:
  • Lymphocytic leukemia - affecting lymphoid cells
  • Myelogenous leukemia - affecting myeloid cells
• Specific subtypes of leukemia:
  • Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) - most common child form; can also affect adults especially over 65.
  • Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) - affects adults and children; also called "acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL)";
  • Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) - usually adults over 55; sometimes young adults; rarely children.
  • Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) - mostly adults; rarely in children.
  • Hairy cell leukemia
• Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma

Curable Types of Leukemia:

• Ionising radiation related leukaemia
• Viruses related leukaemia

Rare Types of Leukemia:

• Hairy cell leukaemia
• Acute lymphocytic leukaemia associated with viral infections
• Fanconi anemia associated with acute myelogenous leukaemia

Statistics about Types of Leukemia:

The following are statistics from various sources about types of Leukemia:

• 3,830 new cases for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in the US 2004 (Cancer Facts and Figures, American Cancer Society, 2004)
• 8,190 new cases for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in the US 2004 (Cancer Facts and Figures, American Cancer Society, 2004)
• 11,920 new cases for Acute Myeloid Leukemia in the US 2004 (Cancer Facts and Figures, American Cancer Society, 2004)
• 4,600 new cases for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in the US 2004 (Cancer Facts and Figures, American Cancer Society, 2004)
• more statistics...»

Types discussion:

There are several types of leukemia. They are grouped in two ways. One way is by how quickly the disease develops and gets worse. The other way is by the type of blood cell that is affected.

Leukemia is either acute or chronic. In acute leukemia , the abnormal blood cells are blasts that remain very immature and cannot carry out their normal functions. The number of blasts increases rapidly, and the disease gets worse quickly. In chronic leukemia , some blast cells are present, but in general, these cells are more mature and can carry out some of their normal functions. Also, the number of blasts increases less rapidly than in acute leukemia. As a result, chronic leukemia gets worse gradually.

Leukemia can arise in either of the two main types of white blood cells -- lymphoid cells or myeloid cells. When leukemia affects lymphoid cells, it is called lymphocytic leukemia. When myeloid cells are affected, the disease is called myeloid or myelogenous leukemia.

These are the most common types of leukemia:

• Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of leukemia in young children. This disease also affects adults, especially those age 65 and older.

• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) occurs in both adults and children. This type of leukemia is sometimes called acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL).

• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) most often affects adults over the age of 55. It sometimes occurs in younger adults, but it almost never affects children.

• Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) occurs mainly in adults. A very small number of children also develop this disease.

Hairy cell leukemia is an uncommon type of chronic leukemia. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Leukemia: NCI)

Leukemia: Rare Types

Rare types of medical conditions and diseases in related medical categories:

• Women's Reproductive Health -- rare types of diseases:
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  • PCOS -- Rare Types
  • Chlamydia -- Rare Types
  • Pelvic Inflammatory Disease -- Rare Types
  • Cervical Cancer -- Rare Types
  • Breast Cancer -- Rare Types
  • Ovarian Cancer -- Rare Types
  • Von Willebrand Disease -- Rare Types
  • more ...»
• more rare diseases...»

Leukemia: Related Disease Topics

More general medical disease topics related to Leukemia include:

• Cancer
• Immunoproliferative diseases
• Blood conditions
• Bone Marrow Conditions
• Myeloproliferative diseases
• Immune disorders

Research More About Leukemia

• Leukemia: Introduction
• Symptoms: Leukemia
• Treatments: Leukemia
• Deaths: Leukemia

 » Next page: Causes of Leukemia

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