From the Guidelines
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that affects white blood cells, occurring when the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells that don't function properly, as described in the most recent guidelines by 1.
Definition and Types of Leukemia
Leukemia is characterized by the clonal expansion of abnormal cells in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, and/or other tissues. There are four main types of leukemia: acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
- Acute leukemias, such as ALL and AML, progress rapidly and require immediate treatment.
- Chronic forms, such as CLL and CML, develop more slowly.
Symptoms and Treatment
Common symptoms of leukemia include:
- Fatigue
- Frequent infections
- Easy bleeding or bruising
- Weight loss
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Bone pain Treatment typically involves:
- Chemotherapy
- Targeted therapy
- Radiation
- Immunotherapy
- Stem cell transplantation The specific treatment regimen varies widely based on the exact diagnosis, the patient's age, overall health, and genetic factors, as outlined in the guidelines by 1 and 1.
Importance of Early Diagnosis and Treatment
Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for improving outcomes, as modern therapies have significantly increased survival rates for many forms of leukemia, with cure rates and survival outcomes for patients with ALL improving dramatically over the past several decades, primarily among children, as noted in 1.
From the FDA Drug Label
CML, chronic myeloid leukemia The answer to what leukemia is, is not directly provided in the label, but Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is mentioned as a type of leukemia.
- Leukemia is not defined in the label, but it is implied to be a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. No conclusion can be drawn about what leukemia is in general, as the label only discusses CML and its treatment with imatinib mesylate 2.
From the Research
Definition of Leukaemia
- Leukaemia is a disorder characterized by a clonal proliferation derived from primitive haematopoietic stem cells or progenitor cells 3
- It is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, resulting in abnormal differentiation of cells and a high level of immature malignant cells 3
Types of Leukaemia
- Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a type of leukaemia that occurs when there is a clonal proliferation of myeloid cells, resulting in a high level of immature malignant cells and fewer differentiated red blood cells, platelets, and white blood cells 3
- Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is another type of leukaemia that affects the lymphoid cells 4
- There is also a proposed diagnostic entity called acute myeloid/T-lymphoblastic leukaemia (AMTL), which is a distinct category of acute leukaemias with common pathogenesis and shared myeloid and T cell lymphoblastic features 5
Characteristics of Leukaemia
- Leukaemia cells have distinct metabolic characteristics and vulnerabilities, which can be utilized for therapeutic purposes 4
- The disease can occur at all ages, but predominantly occurs in older people (>60 years of age) 3
- The genomic landscape of leukaemia has been determined, and genetic instability is infrequent with a relatively small number of driver mutations 3
- Mutations in genes involved in epigenetic regulation are common and are early events in leukaemogenesis 3