Types of leukemia and the right treatment

When you are diagnosed with leukemia, your doctor will generally find out what type or type of leukemia you have. Knowing the types and types of these diseases can help you and your doctor to control cancer cells and determine the right leukemia treatment. So, what are the types or types of leukemia that need to be known?

Determination of the classification or type of leukemia

Leukemia is a common type of blood cancer. This disease can be experienced by anyone, including children to the elderly. However, the types of leukemia in children and adults can be different.

The determination of this type is based on the speed at which cancer cells develop and the types of cells involved. Based on the speed at which cancer cells develop, here are the common types of leukemia:

• Acute leukemia (acute leukemia)

In acute leukemia, the abnormal cells (cancer cells) are immature blood cells called blast. These cells are unable to carry out their normal functions and divide rapidly, so the disease progresses rapidly. Generally, acute leukemia requires aggressive and timely treatment to treat it.

• Chronic leukemia (chronic leukemia)

Chronic leukemia generally involves more mature blood cells. These abnormal blood cells develop more slowly than acute leukemia and can still function normally for a period of time. Generally, patients with early chronic leukemia do not feel any symptoms, so the presence of the disease can go unnoticed for years.

Apart from the development of cancer cells, the classification of leukemia is also determined based on the type of cells involved. Based on this type of cell, the type of leukemia is divided into two, namely:

• Lymphocytic leukemia (lymphocytic leukemia)

This type of leukemia affects the lymphocyte cells. Normal lymphocytes develop into white blood cells, which are an important part of the immune system.

• Myeloid leukemia (myelogenous / myeloid leukemia)

This type of leukemia develops from myeloid cells. The normal myeloid cells develop into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Various types of leukemia are common

Based on the speed at which cancer cells develop and the types of cells involved, leukemia is divided into several types. Here are the types of leukemia that are common:

1. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic / lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) or acute lymphoblastic / lymphocytic leukemia is a type of leukemia that starts in the bone marrow and affects B or T lymphocytes, which are immature white blood cells.

These leukemia cells then invade the blood fairly quickly and can sometimes spread to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, liver, spleen, central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), and testes (in men).

Therefore, patients with the type of ALL leukemia need immediate medical care so that it does not become fatal. The main treatment for this type of leukemia is chemotherapy.

Other treatments, such as targeted therapy, radiotherapy, or a transplant stem cells also can be given. With these various treatments, patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia may still recover.

ALL is a type of leukemia that is more common in children, who are under 5 years of age. However, in rare cases, ALL can also occur in adults.

2. Acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloblastic / myeloid leukemia (AML) or acute myeloid / myeloblastic leukemia is the most common type of acute leukemia. This type of leukemia can occur in children and adults. However, AML is more common in adults, and is generally found in elderly people over 75 years of age.

AML starts in the bone marrow and affects myeloid cells, causing abnormal myeloblasts (a type of immature white blood cell). But sometimes, AML also causes abnormal red blood cells or platelets.

Just like acute leukemia in general, leukemia cells in AML also divide and grow rapidly. These cells then invade the blood and may spread to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, liver, spleen, brain and spinal cord, or the testes.

Therefore, patients with AML disease need immediate medical treatment, such as chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplant stem cells. Other treatments may be given according to the condition of each patient.

3. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a type of chronic leukemia that most often occurs in adults, especially those over 65 years of age. This disease begins in the bone marrow and affects B lymphocytes, and generally affects mature cells.

Unlike acute leukemia, this type of chronic leukemia develops slowly. In fact, the symptoms of leukemia may not appear for several years. But over time, these abnormal cells can develop and spread to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen.

Asymptomatic CLL leukemia patients generally do not need treatment. However, routine blood tests should still be done to check the progress of the disease. If treatment is needed, chemotherapy is generally the treatment option for these patients.

4. Chronic myeloid leukemia

Chronic myelogenous / myeloid leukemia (CML) or chronic myeloid leukemia is a rare type of leukemia. Only about 10 percent of leukemia patients have this type. CML is also more common in adults than children.

CML is a type of chronic leukemia that starts in the myeloid cells. This condition occurs when myeloid cells turn into immature cancer cells. These cells then grow slowly and replace normal cells.

Reporting from Cancer Research UK, most CML patients have an abnormal chromosome, called the Philadelphia chromosome. The Philadelphia chromosome causes cells to produce a protein called tyrosine kinase, which encourages leukemia cells to grow and reproduce.

5. Hairy cell leukemia

Apart from the four types above, there are also other types of leukemia that are very rare. One of them, namely hairy cell leukemia or hairy cell leukemia.

Hairy cell leukemia is a type of chronic leukemia that occurs in adults. This disease affects the B lymphocytes and develops slowly. When viewed under a microscope, these cells appear to have hairs on their surface. Hence, this disease is named as hairy cell leukemia.

Hairy cell leukemia may not cause symptoms in the sufferer, so the disease often goes unnoticed. However, symptoms can appear as the disease progresses.

When symptoms appear, new treatment will be needed, such as chemotherapy or something else. Always consult your doctor about the right treatment for you.

6. Other types of leukemia are rare

In addition to the types of acute and chronic leukemia above, there is also another rare type of leukemia, namely praleukemia (myelodysplastic syndromes / MDS) and myeloproliferative disorders .

MDS is a condition that occurs when the blood-forming cells in the bone marrow become abnormal. This condition causes the number of one or more blood cells to decrease.

While myeloproliferative disorders (myeloproliferative neoplasms) or myeloperative disorders are a group of rare diseases that cause blood cells in the bone marrow, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, to grow and develop abnormally.

This disorder occurs when the body produces too many types of blood cells. Some examples of diseases included in this group, namely myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera.