What is chronic acute leukemia?

Chronic leukemia is a slow-growing leukemia. Acute leukemia is a fast-growing leukemia that progresses quickly without treatment.

What does chronic mean in leukemia?

Listen to pronunciation. (KRAH-nik loo-KEE-mee-uh) A slowly progressing cancer that starts in blood-forming tissues such as the bone marrow, and causes large numbers of white blood cells to be produced and enter the blood stream.

How long can you live with acute leukemia?

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL): In general, the disease goes into remission in nearly all children who have it. More than four out of five children live at least 5 years. The prognosis for adults is not as good. Only 25 to 35 percent of adults live 5 years or longer.

What is the most serious type of leukemia?

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) The most common form of acute (fast-developing) leukemia among adults, AML is also the most critical because it progresses rapidly.

Is chronic leukemia worse than acute?

Chronic leukemia inhibits the development of blood stem cells, ultimately causing them to function less effectively than healthy mature blood cells. As compared to acute leukemia, chronic leukemia tends to be less severe and progresses more slowly.

Can chronic leukemia be cured?

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) can rarely be cured. Still, most people live with the disease for many years. Some people with CLL can live for years without treatment, but over time, most will need to be treated. Most people with CLL are treated on and off for years.

Are leukemia symptoms constant?

Leukemia does not always cause symptoms in the early stages. Often, the initial symptoms closely resemble those of the flu, but unlike flu symptoms, they then do not go away. Examples of common early leukemia symptoms include: loss of appetite.

Does chronic leukemia turn into acute?

The leukemia cells grow and divide, building up in the bone marrow and spilling over into the blood. In time, the cells can also settle in other parts of the body, including the spleen. CML is a fairly slow growing leukemia, but it can change into a fast-growing acute leukemia that’s hard to treat.

What is the most common type of leukemia?

Acute myelogenous leukemia is the most common type of leukemia diagnosed in adults. This type of leukemia is a fast growing cancer that affects the blood cells called granulocytes . When these cells are affected, they do not develop into mature blood cells and they overproduce quickly.

What is the result of leukemia?

The cancer develops in the bone marrow where blood cells are made. In leukemia the body starts to make a large number of abnormal white blood cells that crowd out other healthy blood cells. As a result, leukemia may eventually affect all red blood cells, white blood cells as well as platelets.

What is treatment for acute leukemia?

Treatment may include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or stem cell therapy, depending on the type of acute leukemia you have. The treatment for acute leukemia is generally very intense in the beginning. The main goal of treatment is to kill the leukemia cells. Hospitalization is sometimes necessary.

How does leukemia cause bleeding?

For example, enlarged lymph nodes in the chest (such as mediastinal lymph nodes) cannot be felt but may lead to shortness of breath, wheezing, or a cough. Bruising or Excess Bleeding . When leukemia cells crowd the bone marrow, it can result in a decreased production of platelets , known as thrombocytopenia .