Leukemia
Leukemia is a cancer of blood-forming cells in the bone marrow. These deranged, immature cells accumulate in the blood and within organs of the body. They are not able to carry out the normal functions of blood cells. Each of the 2 major leukemia, myelogenous and lymphocytic, include both acute and chronic forms.
Leukemia is one of the top 15 most frequently occurring cancers in all
races or ethnicities.
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Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) |
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) |
Survival Rates
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL): 66.3 percent overall; 90.9 percent for children under 5
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): 78.8 percent
- Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML): 23.4 percent overall; 60.2 percent for children under 15
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML): 53.3 percent
Targeted Treatment
Treatment outcomes vary, even among patients with the same diagnosis. Talk to your physicians for more
information. In addition, these statistics may underestimate survival to
a degree because they may be based on data that does not include
outcomes of treatment with the most current options available. Newer
agents and drug combinations, progress in stem cell transplantation,
better supportive care and studies of new drugs in clinical trials are
all contributing to improved outcomes and quality of life for people
diagnosed with blood cancers.
Types of Leukemia
The most common types of leukemia in adults are acute myelogenous
leukemia (AML), with an estimated 12,810 new cases in 2009, and chronic
lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), with about 15,490 new cases this year.
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is estimated to affect about 5,050
persons this year. The most common type of leukemia in children is acute
lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), which will account for about 5,760 new
cases this year.
Incidence by Gender, Race and Ethnicity
Children of all races under the
age of 20 have the highest rates of leukemia and incidence rates are substantially higher for Hispanic, American
Indian/Alaskan natives, white and Asian/Pacific islander children than
for African American children. Males are expected to account for more than 57
percent of the new cases of leukemia in adults. Leukemia incidence is highest among whites (12.8
per 100,000) and lowest among American Indians/Alaskan natives, Asian and Pacific Islander populations (approx 7 per 100,000). Leukemia rates are higher in Americans of European descent. AML and CML occurs most often in adults ages seventy and older. The Hispanic population has seen a dramatic increase in AML and CML above the age of 55 years.