Leukemia Also called: blood cancer

Woman with a fever and swollen lymph glands. Close-up of the difference between a normal level of red blood cells and a reduced level of red blood cells due to leukemia.
A cancer of blood-forming tissues, hindering the body's ability to fight infection.
Rare
20,000 to 200,000 US cases per year
Treatable by a medical professional
Requires a medical diagnosis
Lab tests or imaging always required
Leukemia is cancer of blood-forming tissues, including bone marrow. Many types exist such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Many patients with slow-growing types of leukemias don't have symptoms. Rapidly growing types of leukemia may cause symptoms that include fatigue, weight loss, frequent infections, and easy bleeding or bruising.
Treatment is highly variable. For slow-growing leukemias, treatment may include monitoring. For aggressive leukemias, treatment includes chemotherapy that's sometimes followed by radiation and stem-cell transplant.
Ages affected
0-2
Very rare
3-5
Very rare
6-13
Very rare
14-18
Very rare
19-40
Very rare
41-60
Rare
60+
Rare
Requires a medical diagnosis
Many patients with slow-growing types of leukemias don't have symptoms. Rapidly growing types of leukemia may cause symptoms that include fatigue, weight loss, frequent infections, and easy bleeding or bruising.
People may experience:
Pain: in the bone or joints
Whole body: chills, dizziness, fatigue, fever, nausea, night sweats, weakness, or sweating
Gastrointestinal: blood in stool or diarrhea
Skin: rashes or red spots
Also common: bleeding, easy bruising, headache, mouth ulcer, nosebleed, pallor, shortness of breath, swelling, swollen lymph nodes, or unintentional weight loss
Treatable by a medical professional
Treatment is highly variable. For slow-growing leukemias, treatment may include monitoring. For aggressive leukemias, treatment includes chemotherapy that's sometimes followed by radiation and stem-cell transplant.
Prescription
Chemotherapy regimen: Etoposide by mouth, Fludarabine by mouth (Oforta), Chlorambucil (Leukeran)
Chemotherapy regimen by injection: Doxorubicin (Adriamycin), Etoposide (Etopophos), Fludarabine (Fludara), Vincristine, Bendamustine (Treanda)
Enzyme: Asparaginase
Other treatments: Azacitidine by injection (Vidaza), Alemtuzumab extract by injection, Daunorubicin by injection, Clofarabine by injection (Clolar), Cladribine by injection (Leustatin), Mercaptopurine (Purinethol), Thioguanine, Nilotinib, Dasatinib (Sprycel), Idarubicin by injection, Methotrexate by injection or by mouth (Trexall), Decitabine by injection (Dacogen), Imatinib (Gleevec), Cytarabine by injection
Also common
Devices: Central venous catheter
Procedures: Blood transfusion, Hematopoietic STEM cell transplantation
Other treatments: Immunotherapy
Specialists
Hematology pathologist: Specializes in diagnosing blood disorders.
Oncologist: Specializes in cancer.
Pediatric hematologist-oncology: Treats blood disorders and cancer in children.
Hematologist: Focuses on diagnosing and treating blood disorders.