Leukemia

Greek: leukos = white , aima = blood
Synonym : Leukaemia (BE)
German: Leukämie

1 Definition

Leukemia is a cancer of white blood cells (Leukocytes) or their precursors in the bone marrow.
The disease is termed according to:
(I) the type of abnormal cells found most in the blood:

• Lymphocytes or lymphocyte precursors = lymphatic leukemia
• Granulocytes or granulocyte precursors = myelogenous leukemia
  

(II) the maturity of those abnormal cells:

• immature cells ("blasts") = acute leukemia
  
• mixed maturity = chronic leukemia
  

2 History

In 1845, Rudolf Virchow discovered a whitening of a whole blood sample. He described this finding as "white blood syndrome" and subseqeuntly generated the term Leukämie (BE: leukaemia, AE:leukemia) as a composition of the greec words leukos (=white) and aima (=blood).

3 Leukemia incidences

• all ages : approx. 5 / 100.000
• children : approx. 4 / 100.000

4 Leukemia classifiction

• Acute myelogenous leukemia
• Acute lymphocytic leukemia
• chronic lymphocytic leukemia
• chronic myelogenous leukemia
• Hairy cell leukemia

5 Symptoms

• flu-like symptoms: fever, night sweats
• (unintentional) loss of weight
• fatigue syndrome (extreme weakness)
• swollen or bleeding gums
• nosebleed (Epistaxis)
• Enlargment of liver and spleen (Hepatosplenomegaly)

Note:

• chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma and causes leukemic symptomes
• chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disease (MPD) and causes leucemic and MPD symptoms (e.g. hepatosplenomegaly, blast crisis).