Mary Bird Perkins offers the most advanced radiation therapy available in the world with the medical and technical experts to use it successfully.
Leukemia is often thought of as a childhood disease. However, it is diagnosed ten times more often in adults. Two types of leukemia in adults are acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Survival rates and treatment options depend on the type of leukemia. There have been significant advances in the treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the five-year survival rate increasing from 38 percent to 65 percent in the last thirty years.*
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a type of cancer where the bone marrow makes too many lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). An increase in lymphocytes, which are not capable of fighting infection very well, means there is less room in the body for healthy white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. This may lead to infection, anemia and bleeding easily. Older, white males are at an increased risk of developing ALL, especially those who've been exposed to radiation in the past and those with certain genetic disorders. Symptoms for ALL may include fever, fatigue, easy bruising or bleeding and pain in the bones or stomach. To diagnose ALL, blood and bone marrow are examined to determine the type of cells developing. Recovery and treatment options depend upon the patient’s age, whether ALL has spread to the brain or spinal cord, whether the Philadelphia chromosome is present and whether this is a first diagnosis or a recurrence.
When the bone marrow makes abnormal myeblasts (a type of white blood cell), red blood cells or platelets, a type of leukemia may develop called acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. AML is divided into different subtypes, based on the development of the cancer cells at the time of diagnosis and how they compare to normal cells. Radiation exposure or treatment in the past may increase the chances of developing AML, especially for male smokers over sixty. Possible signs of AML include fever, shortness of breath, easy bleeding or bruising. Doctors examine the blood and bone marrow to find and diagnose AML, and then must determine whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body using a chest x-ray, lumbar puncture and/or an ultrasound. There is no staging system for adult AML, and is instead described as untreated, in remission or recurrent. When creating options for recovery and treatment, it is important to consider the type of AML and whether it has spread.
Related Links for acute lymphoblastic leukemia:
American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
Related Links for acute myeloid leukemia:
American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
* American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts and Figures 2006, Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2006.