leukemia

Introduction

Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, characterized by the abnormal proliferation of blood cells, typically white blood cells. It can be classified into several subtypes, including acute and chronic forms, each with distinct clinical presentations and treatment approaches.

Key Insights

Types and Characteristics of Leukemia:
- Leukemia is broadly categorized into four main types: acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL) .
- Acute leukemias (AML and ALL) involve rapid proliferation of immature blood cells, while chronic leukemias (CML and CLL) involve slower proliferation of more mature cells .
Pathophysiology and Clonal Evolution:
- Leukemia involves the clonal proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells, leading to the accumulation of abnormal cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood .
- Clonal evolution plays a significant role in leukemia, with genetic and epigenetic changes driving disease progression and therapy resistance.
Role of Oxidative Stress:
- Oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are crucial in the development and progression of leukemia. Leukemia-initiating cells depend on the suppression of oxidative stress to maintain their function.
Clinical Presentation and Diagnosis:
- Common symptoms of leukemia include fever, fatigue, weight loss, bone pain, bruising, and bleeding. Diagnosis typically involves a complete blood count and examination of bone marrow or peripheral blood .
- Leukemia can affect the central and peripheral nervous systems, leading to complications such as leukemic meningitis and peripheral neuropathy.
Treatment and Management:
- Treatment options for leukemia include chemotherapy, radiation, monoclonal antibodies, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Complications of treatment can include tumor lysis syndrome and serious infections due to immunosuppression.
- Advances in cancer genomics and single-cell molecular analysis have improved the understanding of leukemia and its treatment, highlighting the importance of targeting leukemic stem cells (LSCs) .
Epidemiology and Risk Factors:
- Leukemia can occur at any age, with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) being more common in children and other subtypes more common in adults. Risk factors include genetic predispositions and environmental exposures such as ionizing radiation .

Conclusion

Leukemia is a complex and heterogeneous group of cancers affecting the blood and bone marrow. It involves the clonal proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells, driven by genetic and epigenetic changes. The disease can present with a variety of symptoms and requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Advances in understanding the role of oxidative stress and clonal evolution have provided new insights into the pathophysiology and treatment of leukemia. Effective management involves a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and stem cell transplantation, with ongoing research focused on improving outcomes and reducing complications.

Summary

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

Acute promyelocytic leukemia is a type of acute myeloid leukemia in which immature white blood cells accumulate in the bone marrow, leading to a shortage of normal white, red, and platelets in the body.

Clonal evolution in leukemia

Clonal evolution in leukemias is a complex and dynamic process that drives tumor initiation, disease progression, and relapse, impacting our understanding of transformation and therapy resistance mechanisms.

Oxidative stress in normal hematopoietic stem cells and leukemia

Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in leukemia development, and suppressing it in the hypoglycemic bone marrow environment may help prevent leukemia development.

Leukemia: an overview for primary care.

Leukemia is a bone marrow proliferation with four main subtypes, and primary care physicians should recognize symptoms and refer patients to hematologist-oncologists for diagnosis and treatment.

Normal and leukemic hematopoiesis: Are leukemias a stem cell disorder or a reacquisition of stem cell characteristics?

Leukemias may be initiated by transforming events in hematopoietic stem cells or arise from more committed progenitors with enhanced self-renewal capabilities.

Introduction to the Leukemias

Leukemias are malignant neoplasms of blood forming tissues, resulting from defects in stem cells at different stages of maturation, with clonal expansion of myeloid (red cells, granulocytes, platelets) or lymphoid lineages.

Leukemia Perspective in Current Practice

Leukemia has four major types, and nutrition status strongly affects survival rates, with risk factors including Klinefelter, Down syndromes, ataxia telangiectasia, Bloom syndrome, viral infections, and radiation exposure.

Leukemia and the nervous system

Leukemia can cause neurologic complications, such as meningitis, due to direct leukemic infiltration and complications of antileukemic treatment or immune compromise.

Childhood Leukemia: A Review

Childhood leukemia is the most common form of blood cancer in children, with treatment lasting up to 3 years and causing abnormal blood cell production in bone marrow.

Leukemia detection from blood smears

Our computer-aided diagnosis system effectively detects and classifies leukemia from blood microscopic images, offering a valuable tool for remote and rural areas with limited medical personnel.

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