Leukemia (2024)

FAQs

Leukemia? ›

Leukemia is a broad term for cancers of the blood cells. The type of leukemia depends on the type of blood cell that becomes cancer and whether it grows quickly or slowly. Leukemia occurs most often in adults older than 55, but it is also the most common cancer in children younger than 15.

Survival rate by age

The latest figures show that the 5-year survival rate for all subtypes of leukemia is 65.7% . A 5-year survival rate looks at how many people are still alive 5 years after their diagnosis. Leukemia is most common in older adults, with incidence rates rising sharply from around 55 years.

Early symptoms of leukemia often include easy bleeding, frequent infections, and fatigue. In the late stages, you might develop symptoms such as confusion, slow breathing, and hallucinations. The American Cancer Society estimates that 59,610 people in the United States will receive new leukemia diagnoses in 2023.

The leukemia cells divide rapidly and the disease progresses quickly. If you have acute leukemia, you'll feel sick within weeks of the leukemia cells forming. Acute leukemia is life-threatening and requires immediate initiation of therapy.

Chronic leukemia involves more-mature blood cells. These blood cells replicate or accumulate more slowly and can function normally for a period of time. Some forms of chronic leukemia initially produce no early symptoms and can go unnoticed or undiagnosed for years.

Stage IV. This is the most serious stage. The key is that your platelet count is low, which means your blood won't clot well (thrombocytopenia).

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most fatal type of leukemia. The five-year survival rate (how many people will be alive five years after diagnosis) for AML is 29.5%. Leukemia is a cancer that usually affects white blood cells, though it can start in other types of blood cells.

Leukemia can produce a variety of symptoms, although most are not often apparent in the earliest stages of the malignancy. The most common symptoms of leukemia—fatigue, pale skin, weight loss and night sweats—are often attributed to other less serious conditions, such as the flu.

The median age of a patient diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is 65 years and older. However, most cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) occur in people under 20 years old. The median age of an ALL patient at diagnosis is 15.

Can you live 20 years with leukemia? ›

Most people live for about 10 years, but this varies depending on how CLL behaves. People in stages 0 to II may live for 5 to 20 years without treatment. CLL has a very high incidence rate in people older than 60 years. CLL affects men more than women.

It usually develops very slowly and does not always need to be treated straight away. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cannot usually be cured, but it can be managed with treatment.

Advances in the treatment of blood cancers have increased the number of people living with their disease. Survival brings its own challenges and opportunities. Many experience times where their disease is under control, and they are free to 'get on' with their lives.

While leukemia is a well-known form of blood cancer, an aggressive and rare form of blood cancer, plastic plasmacytoid dendritic neoplasm (BPDCN), is often mistaken for leukemia.

Petechiae, or what many people know as “leukemia spots,” are reddish, pinpoint-sized dots that can develop underneath the skin of someone who has leukemia—a cancer that occurs in blood-forming structures such as the bone marrow and lymphatic system.

As you approach the end of your life, your body becomes less able to absorb food and turn it into energy. Also, the leukaemia cells will be burning up your energy supplies. As you get weaker, you may become less interested in food and drink. You may not want to eat or drink especially if swallowing becomes painful.

Leukaemias are grouped in two ways: the type of white blood cell affected - lymphoid or myeloid; and how quickly the disease develops and gets worse. Acute leukaemia appears suddenly and grows quickly while chronic leukaemia appears gradually and develops slowly over months to years.