Leukemia in Adults

The Basics

Written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate пїЅ пїЅ

What is leukemia? " пїЅ Leukemia is a type of blood cancer. Blood is made up of different types of cells. These cells are made in the middle of your bones, in a part called the bone marrow. пїЅ пїЅ

When people have leukemia, their bone marrow makes abnormal blood cells instead of normal blood cells. These abnormal blood cells grow out of control, get into the blood, and travel around the body. Sometimes, these cells collect in certain parts of the body. пїЅ пїЅ

When the bone marrow makes abnormal blood cells, it does not make the normal blood cells a persons body needs. This can cause symptoms. пїЅ пїЅ

There are different types of leukemia. Some types grow very slowly, and others grow much faster. Sometimes, people have a type of leukemia that is slow-growing at first and later becomes fast-growing. пїЅ пїЅ

What are the symptoms of leukemia? " пїЅ Leukemia does not always cause symptoms, especially at first. When it does cause symptoms, the most common ones include: пїЅ пїЅ

Feeling very tired and weak
Bleeding more easily than normal
Getting sick from infections more easily than normal

These symptoms can also be caused by conditions that are not leukemia. But if you have these symptoms, you should let your doctor or nurse know. пїЅ пїЅ

Is there a test for leukemia? " пїЅ Yes. Your doctor or nurse can use different tests to diagnose leukemia. These include: пїЅ пїЅ

Blood tests
Bone marrow biopsy " пїЅ A doctor will take a very small sample of the bone marrow. Then another doctor will look at the cells under a microscope to see if cancer cells are present.

Your doctor or nurse will also do an exam and ask about your symptoms. пїЅ пїЅ

How is leukemia treated? " пїЅ Doctors can treat leukemia in different ways. Sometimes, doctors treat leukemia right away. Other times, if the leukemia is slow-growing and not causing symptoms, doctors might watch it closely until treatment is needed. пїЅ пїЅ

The right treatment for you will depend on the type of leukemia you have, where it has spread, your age, and your other health problems. пїЅ пїЅ

Treatment for leukemia can include 1 or more of the following: пїЅ пїЅ

Chemotherapy " пїЅ Chemotherapy is the term doctors use to describe a group of medicines that kill cancer cells.
Radiation therapy " пїЅ Radiation kills cancer cells.
Bone marrow transplant " пїЅ This treatment replaces cells in the bone marrow that are killed by chemotherapy or radiation. These "donor " пїЅ cells can come from different places, including:You " пїЅ Your cells can be taken out of your bone marrow before your treatment is completed and put back in after you have completed chemotherapy or radiation treatmentPeople who are related to you, and whose blood matches yoursPeople who are not related to you, but whose blood matches yoursBlood (which matches yours) from a newborn baby's umbilical cord

Surgery " пїЅ Sometimes, treatment includes surgery to remove an organ called the spleen.

What happens after treatment? " пїЅ After treatment, you will be checked every so often to see if the leukemia comes back. Regular follow up tests include talking with your doctor, exams, and blood tests. Sometimes, the doctor will also do a bone marrow biopsy. пїЅ пїЅ

What happens if the leukemia comes back? " пїЅ If the leukemia comes back, you might have more chemotherapy, radiation, or bone marrow transplantation. пїЅ пїЅ

What else should I do? " пїЅ It is important to follow all your doctors ' instructions about visits and tests. It's also important to talk to your doctor about any side effects or problems you have during treatment. пїЅ пїЅ

Getting treated for leukemia involves making many choices, such as what treatment to have and when. пїЅ пїЅ

Always let your doctors and nurses know how you feel about a treatment. Any time you are offered a treatment, ask: пїЅ пїЅ

What are the benefits of this treatment? Is it likely to help me live longer? Will it reduce or prevent symptoms?
What are the downsides to this treatment?
Are there other options besides this treatment?
What happens if I do not have this treatment?

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. пїЅ пїЅ

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. пїЅ пїЅ

Topic 15491 Version 7.0 пїЅ пїЅ

Release: 22.8 - C22.208 пїЅ пїЅ

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Leukemia in Adults

The Basics

Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer

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