Leukemia
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Each year, leukemia is diagnosed in about 29,000 adults and 2,000 children in the US.
Leukemia is a cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as bone marrow, causing cancer cells to be produced and enter the blood stream. There are a number of forms of leukemia with terminology typically based on the cell type that is cancerous and whether the progression of the disease is rapid (acute) or progressive (chronic). Examples include acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
AML results from genetic damage to the developmental cells in the bone marrow. The effects of this are uncontrollable growth and accumulation of dysfunctional blood cells as well as blockage of normal production of healthy blood cells causing a deficiency in the blood. AML is the most common of the leukemias and affects almost 12,000 people in the US per year.
AML occurs both in adults and children, though predominantly a disease expressed in elderly with a prevalence rate in the US of 17.9 per 100,000 for 65 years old and over but with incidence increasing with age. The average age of diagnosis is 65 years and more than half of the cases are in individuals 60 years and older.
It is estimated there are more than 60,000 new cases of AML worldwide each year. The incidence rate of AML in Australia in 2004 was 8.8 per 100,000 (males) and 5.2 per 100,000 (females).
Sadly, there are few therapeutic treatments available. The forms of treatment currently available include chemotherapy, blood marrow transplants and stem cell transplants, radiation therapy and the emerging immunotherapy.
There are a number of organizations which provide good information about leukemia including the following:
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