Two Types of Leukemia - Research Paper Example

?Compare and contrast Two Types of Leukemia Leukemia refers to a form of blood cancer that begins in the bone marrow; a soft tissue in the centre of bones where blood cells are manufactured. It is a condition in which white blood cells, the part of blood that is responsible for fighting off infections and other toxic foreign substances, increase in number uncontrollably(ACS, 2011).. They therefore hinder healthy red cells, platelets and mature leukocytes (white cells) from being produced. The cancerous cells then spread to the blood stream and lymph nodes, and could travel to the brain, spinal cord (the central nervous system) and the rest of the body (Michael Hllek, 2008). As a result of the cancerous white blood cells, the bone marrow does not produce enough normal red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Leukemia patients then develop anemia- a deficiency of red blood cells. Lack of normal white blood cells limit the body’s immune system while a shortage of platelets causes easier bruising and bleeding (platelets cause blood clotting) (Michael Hllek, 2008). Leukemia is divided in two major groups namely; acute leukemia that is known to progress quickly and chronic leukemia that progresses slowly. The two broad groups are further classified according to the kind of blood cell that they affect and these classes include lymphocytic leukemias and myelogenous leukemias. (ACS, 2011). Comparing and contrasting types of Leukemia Lymphocytic leukemia is a condition where the cancerous change occurs in a type of marrow cell that forms lymphocytes (infection-fighting immune system cells) (Michael Hllek, 2008). Myolegenous leukemia has the cancerous effect occurring in the bone marrow that forms the red blood cells, some other types of white blood cells and platelets. Thus, the above brings the types of leukemia to a total of four (Michael Hllek, 2008). The term ‘acute’ has been used in this case to refer to the fast progression of the disease while chronic means slow progression of the disease. Acute leukemia arises from immature stem cells whereas chronic leukemia arises from mature stem cells. Chronic leukemia develops from mature, abnormal cells that thrive for long periods and accumulating and growing slowly. On the other hand, acute leukemia develops from early cells (blasts) which divide frequently and do not stop this division (Tal Shapira, 2008). The mature blood cells in chronic anemia are unable to function properly due to their abnormality, leading to unwanted accumulation of the defective cells. This slowly inhibits the formation of healthy cells. Acute leukemia on the other hand, is as a result of rapid growth in the number of the useless cell (blasts) thus preventing the formation of healthy ones (Tal Shapira, 2008). Chronic leukemia is more prone in adults and its effects could take some time before they start being felt whereas acute leukemia is common in children and the fastness of its development prompts immediate intervention. Juvenile chronic myelogenous leukemia is rare in children and represents about 2 per cent of childhood leukemia (Calin & Croce, 2009). Continuous dividing of the immature cancerous cells in acute leukemia explains the fast development. Chronic leukemia in contrast allows a larger number of mature functioning cells. People with acute leukemia usually die within months whereas those with chronic types may survive to a few years (Tal Shapira, 2008). Chronic and Acute types of leukemia could also be differentiated using the sub-classification that bases on the kind of blood cell that they affect, i.e. lymphocytic leukemia and myelogenous leukemia. Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) is common among adults and is rare for persons under the age of forty. It is also more prevalent in men than in women. Chronic Myelogenous leukemia is also more common in adults although it is in a small scale found in children too (Calin & Croce, 2009). People with Down syndrome (a chromosomal abnormality) are more prone to developing AML whereas Chronic Leukemia carry a defective chromosome called Philadelphia chromosome which is formed by translocation where chromosome 9 swaps with chromosome 22 therefore leading to uncontrolled production of white blood cells (Calin & Croce, 2009). Fig. 1. Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Source: http://www.orpha.net/data/patho/Pro/en/AcuteLymphoblasticLeukemia-FRenPro3732.pdf Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) is found in people of all ages with prevalence in children under the age of 15 with its risk increasing after age 45. Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia (CLL) in contrast is common in people over age 60 and does not occur in children. Rather than reproduction as in other forms of leukemia, CLL cells which resemble mature cells are long-lived and therefore this longevity leads to the CLL cells crowding out other cells (ACS, 2011). ALL is more prevalent in males than females (with 30 per cent more prevalence in men) whereas CLL is spread relatively equally between the genders. Survival rates for acute and chronic types of leukemia vary significantly where Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia has 64.6 per cent survival rate overall and 88.4 per cent for children below 15 while Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia registering a 74.2 per cent(ACS, 2011). Survival rates for ALL patients are determined to a large extend by the age whereas it is not the same case for CLL patients (Michael Hllek, 2008). Fig. 2. Acute Myeloid Leukemia Source: http://www.unitedhealthdirectory.com/diseases-and-conditions/acute-myeloid-leukemia/ The development of the various types of both the chronic types of leukemia and the acute types also vary. CLL for instance, develops slowly as a result of lymphocytes (a type of white blood cells) increase in number in blood and in the bone marrow leaving less room for healthy blood cells. On the other hand, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia develops fairly quickly spreading to other parts of the body. If not attended to quickly, it can be fatal in a short time, usually a few months (Tal Shapira, 2008). Chronic leukemia is generally harder to cure than acute leukemia. Early stage chronic leukemia normally has no treatment, but doctors monitor the patients unless chromosome testing suggests that the patient has a high risk of the leukemia. Acute leukemia is normally treated using chemotherapy and usually at an early stage (Calin & Croce, 2009). References American Cancer Society. (2011, June 23). Leukemia--Acute myeloid. Retrieved October 13, 2011, from American cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003110-pdf.pdf Calin, G. A., & Croce, c. M. (2009). Chronic Lymphoctic leukemia: interplay between noncoding RNAs and Protein-coding genes. Blood:Journal of the American Society of Hematology, 114(23): 4761-4770. Michael Hllek, B. D.-C. (2008). Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Blood Journal, 111(12):5446-5456. Tal Shapira, D. P. (2008). How I treat acute and chronic leukemia in pregnancy . Elservier Blood Reviews Journal, 22(5): 247-259. Read More