LEUKEMIA

Group 4 | 9 – Einstein
Abilene Reglos Danica CabalMarian Isabel Matampac
JP Deveraturda James Guillen Penaflor
 What is
Leukemia?
Definition:
Leukemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone
marrow characterized by abnormal increase of
immature white blood cells called “blasts”.
It is most likely to affect people over the age of 55
years, but it is also the most common cancer in
those aged under 15 years.
 A Wright’s
stained bone
marrow
aspirate
smear from a
patient with
precursor B-
cell acute
lymphoblasti
c leukemia
Facts about Leukemia:

• About 62,130 new cases of leukemia are

expected to be diagnosed in the United
States in 2017.
• Leukemia is one of the most common
childhood cancers, but it most often occurs
in older adults.
• Leukemia can be fatal, but there are ways
of treating and controlling the disease and
 Comparison
between normal
blood to blood
with leukemia
Causes
 Working with Certain
Causes:

Chemicals
Exposure to high levels of benzene in a
workplace can cause leukemia. Benzene is
widely used in the chemical industry.
Formaldehyde is also used in the chemical
industry. Workers exposed to formaldehyde
also may be at risk of getting leukemia
 Working
with
certain
chemicals
Causes: Previous Cancer Treatment
People who've had certain types of
chemotherapy and radiation
therapy for other cancers have an
increased risk of developing certain
types of leukemia.
 Previous
cancer
treatment
Causes: Genetic Disorders
Genetic abnormalities seem to play
a role in the development of leukemia.
Certain genetic disorders, such as
Down syndrome, are associated with
an increased risk of leukemia.
 Smoking
Causes:

Smoking cigarettes increases

the risk of acute myelogenous
leukemia.
Smoking
Causes: Family History of Leukemia
If members of your family have
been diagnosed with leukemia, your
risk of the disease may be
increased.
Symptoms
Symptoms: Poor blood clotting
Immature white blood cells crowd out
platelets, which are crucial for blood
clotting. This can cause a person to bruise or
bleed easily and heal slowly. They may also
develop petechiae, small red to purple spots
on the body, indicating a minor hemorrhage
Symptoms: Frequent infections
The white blood cells are crucial for
fighting off infection. If these are
suppressed or not working properly,
frequent infections can result. The
immune system may attack other good
body cells.
Symptoms: Anemia
As the shortage of good red blood
cells grows, anemia can result. This
can involve difficult or labored
breathing and pale skin.
Symptoms: Others
There may be nausea, fever, chills, night
sweats, flu-like symptoms, weight loss, bone
pain, and tiredness. If the liver or spleen
becomes enlarged the person may feel full
and will eat less, resulting in weight loss.
Weight loss can also occur even without an
enlarged liver or spleen. Headache may
indicate that the cancerous cells have
 How
leukemia is
classified
Classifications: The first type of classification is by how fast the leukemia
progresses
• Acute leukemia. In acute leukemia, the abnormal blood
cells are immature blood cells (blasts). They can't carry out
their normal functions, and they multiply rapidly, so the
disease worsens quickly. Acute leukemia requires aggressive,
timely treatment.
• Chronic leukemia. There are many types of chronic
leukemias. Some produce too many cells and some cause too
few cells to be produced. Chronic leukemia involves more
mature blood cells. These blood cells replicate or accumulate
more slowly and can function normally for a period of time.
Some forms of chronic leukemia initially produce no early
symptoms and can go unnoticed or undiagnosed for years.
Classifications: The second type of classification is by type of white blood
cell affected
• Lymphocytic leukemia. This type of leukemia
affects the lymphoid cells (lymphocytes), which
form lymphoid or lymphatic tissue. Lymphatic
tissue makes up your immune system.
• Myelogenous (my-uh-LOHJ-uh-nus)
leukemia. This type of leukemia affects the
myeloid cells. Myeloid cells give rise to red blood
cells, white blood cells and platelet-producing
cells.
 Types of
Leukemia
Types of Leukemia: ALL
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). This
is the most common type of leukemia in
young children. (Combined, acute leukemias
are responsible for around a third of
childhood cancers.) That said, around 40
percent of cases occur in adults. While the
disease was almost universally fatal a few
decades ago, it is now curable in the
majority of children diagnosed.
Types of Leukemia: AML
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). 
Although often thought of as a childhood
cancer, acute myeloid leukemia(acute
myelogenous leukemia) is actually more
common in adults. In fact, it is the most common
form of acute leukemia in these individuals. The
treatment is more aggressive than for other
forms of leukemia and often requires in-hospital
treatment for the first few weeks.
 CLL
Types of Leukemia:
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
(CLL).  CLL is the most common
leukemia in adults and is often
diagnosed before any symptoms
develop. In some ways, it is very similar
to some lymphomas and is treated in a
similar fashion.
Types of Leukemia: CML
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). This type of
leukemia mainly affects adults. A person with CML may have
few or no symptoms for months or years before entering a
phase in which the leukemia cells grow more quickly.
CML is the first cancer able to be controlled with targeted
therapies, drugs that zero in on specific abnormalities in the
growth of the cells. These treatments have changed the
prognosis from almost universally fatal (eventually) to
largely controllable over the long-term with continued
treatment. Both CML and CLL, however, have the potential
to transform to acute leukemia in time.
Diagnosis
Leukemia
Diagnosis
Diagnosis: Bone Marrow Aspiration &
Biopsy
With a bone marrow aspiration, a long, thin
needle is inserted into the bone marrow in the
hip (or sometimes the breastbone) after
numbing the skin locally with lidocaine. After
a sample of the bone marrow is aspirated, a
biopsy sample is also taken.
 Bone
Marrow
Aspiration
& Biopsy
 Diagnosis: Lumbar Puncture
With some types of leukemia, a spinal tap (lumbar puncture)
may be done to look for the presence of leukemia cells that
have spread into the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal
cord. It may be done for those with ALL, as well as people with
AML who have any neurological symptoms suggesting this
spread.
In a lumbar puncture, a person lies on a table on their side
with knees up and head down. After cleaning and numbing the
area, a doctor inserts a long thin needle into the lower back,
between the vertebrae, and into the space surrounding the
Diagnosis: Flow Cytometry
In flow cytometry, the bone marrow cells (or
peripheral blood cells) are treated with
antibodies to look for the presence of certain
proteins found on the surface of the cells. The
antibodies will stick to these proteins and can
be detected by the light they give off when a
laser is introduced.
 Diagnosis:Complete Blood Count,
A Peripheral Smear
complete blood count (CBC) measures the numbers
of each of the major types of blood cells made by the bone
marrow: the white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.
The CBC can also yield results that relay important
information about these cells, such as whether the red blood
cells are large or small.
A peripheral smear is a very important test when
considering the diagnosis of leukemia. In a peripheral smear,
a sample of blood is spread on a microscope slide and dye is
Diagnosis: Immunohisto-chemistry
Immunohistochemistry is similar, but
instead of using a laser to look for light given
off by antibody-marked proteins, they can be
seen under the microscope due to a color
change.
This process of looking for unique proteins
on the surface of cells is referred to
as immunophenotyping.
Diagnosis: Cytogenetics
Cytogenetics involves viewing the
chromosomes of cancer cells under the
microscope and looking for
abnormalities. 
 Diagnosis:Fluorescent in situ
hybridization (FISH)
Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is a
procedure that uses special dyes to look for
changes in chromosomes that can't be detected
under the microscope, or changes in specific genes.
With CLL, cytogenetics is less helpful, and FISH
and PCR are more important in finding genetic
changes.
 Diagnosis: Polymerase Chain Reaction
(PCR)
Like FISH, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can
find changes in chromosomes and genes that can't
be seen through cytogenetics. PCR is also helpful in
finding changes that are present in just a few, but
not all, of the cancer cells.
PCR is very sensitive in finding the BCR/ABL gene,
even when other signs of CML aren't found on
chromosome testing.
Treatment
Treatment: Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the major form of
treatment for leukemia. This drug treatment
uses chemicals to kill leukemia cells.
Depending on the type of leukemia you
have, you may receive a single drug or a
combination of drugs. These drugs may come
in a pill form, or they may be injected
directly into a vein.
Treatment: Biological Therapy
Biological therapy works by using
treatments that help your immune
system recognize and attack leukemia
cells.
Treatment: Stem cell Transplant
A stem cell transplant is a procedure to replace
your diseased bone marrow with healthy bone
marrow.
Before a stem cell transplant, you receive high
doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy to
destroy your diseased bone marrow. Then you
receive an infusion of blood-forming stem cells that
help to rebuild your bone marrow.
A stem cell transplant is very similar to a bone
Prevention
Treatment: Environmental Awareness
Knowledge of substances in our environment
that might raise leukemia risk is limited. Still,
practicing caution in relation to what is known
or even suspected is worthwhile, particularly in
the event that certain exposures are later
confirmed to be cancer-causing.
Treatment: Medical Treatment
There are a remarkable array of
diagnostic tests and treatment options
for various medical issues today. While
helpful for their intended purposes, some
may also raise the risk of leukemia.
Treatment: Healthy habits and Lifestyles
We hear a lot about healthy habits when it
comes to other cancers, but less so with
regard to leukemia, especially childhood
leukemia. That said, and especially for adult
leukemias, healthy habits may reduce your
risk.
Thank you for
listening