Leukaemia is a blood cancer that causes an uncontrolled production of abnormal and immature white cells.
Leukaemia is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal white-blood cells, which impacts normal blood cell production in the bone marrow and reduces the number of healthy mature cells.1 This can lead to anaemia, compromised immune system and bleeding problems.
There are four primary types of leukaemia, which are named according to the type of white blood cell affected (lymphoid or myeloid), and how the disease appears and progresses (acute or chronic).
Cancers are classified acute or chronic based on their rate of progression. Acute leukaemia is a rapidly progressing disease, while chronic leukaemia progresses slowly over months to years.
Treatment usually begins quickly after diagnosis for acute leukaemia given its rapid nature. Chronic leukaemia may not require treatment for a long time after it is diagnosed.
Healthy bone marrow produces blast cells, or immature white blood cells, which then develop into mature white cells, red cells and platelets.
When you have acute leukaemia, diseased bone marrow produces an excessive number of abnormal blast cells, called leukaemic cells, which build up in the bone marrow and interfere with the production of normal blood cells.
Common forms of acute leukaemia:
In chronic leukaemia there is a build-up of mature but abnormal white blood cells that became malignant when developing from a blast cell.
Common forms of chronic leukaemia are:
While people with leukaemia may have mild symptoms, these can worsen over time to include:
While most leukaemias are not hereditary, there are some genetic disorders which can increase the chance of developing leukaemia, such as Li-Fraumeni Syndrome and Downs Syndrome. 5
Some inherited conditions which affect the immune system, such as Bloom Syndrome, can also increase the risk for leukaemia.