Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML)

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, is the disease that affects children the most and because of the abnormal cells that are immature white blood cells which cannot help the body fight infections cause children with the disease to often get infections and have fevers (National Cancer Institute, 2002, p. 1). The symptoms that the patient with ALL may have depend on the number of abnormal cells of the patient where exactly the cells collect. Children patients with ALL have low amounts of healthy red blood cells and platelets, which cause less oxygen to be carried through the body because of the lack of red blood cells. Patients at times may look pale, feel weak, and tired causing bleeding and bruising very easily because of their lack of enough platelets. This condition is called anemia. Anemia is very much common in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Fever, fatigue, bone or joint pain, tiny red spots under the skin called petechiae are a couple of symptoms that the disease ALL has. Headaches with, or without vomiting also may occur if patient happens to have abnormal cells collecting in the brain or spinal cord (National Cancer Institute, 2002 para. 2).

Leukemia broadly describes conditions that affect erythropoiesis in the bone marrow, lymphatic system, and spleen. As with all other cancers, leukemia begins from the mutation of DNA in certain cells. Classifications of leukemias are based on the age of onset and the leukocyte involved (Lewis et al. 2014, 665). The most common leukemia is chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), accounting for approximately 30% of cases in the United States (Copstead and Banasik 2013, 222). The normal function of the bone marrow, spleen, and liver becomes interrupted by the invasion of malignant lymphocytes (B cells); since the B cells are functionally inactive, a patient becomes more susceptible to infections. The sluggish progression of CLL unfortunately leads to late diagnoses and poor prognosis (Lewis et al. 2014, 665). Patients that become symptomatic in later stages will experience fatigue, weight loss, anorexia, and an increased susceptibility to infection, due to abnormal antibody production. Patient specific factors such as age, disease progression, and medication side effects will determine the course of treatment (Copstead and Banasik 2013, 223). The fragile state of patients with CLL requires continuous examination of drug therapy and interventions to prevent further complications.

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are characterized by the proliferation of one or more cell types of the myeloid lineage, including erythroid, granulocytic, monocytic, or megakaryocytic lineages. These disorders are clonal and originate from a single pluripotent hemapoietic stem cell (Hubbard, 2011). MPNs have a slow onset and are mainly diagnosed in adults between 45 and 55 years of age. Clinical symptoms include anemia, weight loss, lack of energy, spleen enlargement, fever, and bruising (Hubbard, 2011).

The age-adjusted incidence of acute myeloid leukemia is 3.6 per 100000 persons per year, with a median age of 66 years at diagnosis. Whereas the outcome for patients with AML who are less than 60 years of age has improved over the past several decades, the major reasons for failure are primary refractoriness of the disease to initial chemotherapy or failure to maintain the complete state of remission.. Some patients have residual leukemic cells in their marrow even after intensive treatment. This is referred to as “refractory leukemia.” There are other patients who have a return of leukemia cells in the marrow and a decrease in normal blood cells after achieving a remission. This is referred to as “relapsed leukemia.” (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society 2011)

Feeling exhausted, breathless, unknown decreasing weight along with constant bleeding? There is a possibility you could have an infrequent disease: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. The symptoms, the cause, and the treatment is all what I am here to talk of and how it affects your body in a terrible way.

Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia is a hematopoietic proliferative disorder associated with a specific defect in the gene (Ciesla 2007, pp. 189). The gene defect is caused due to the translocation of the genetic material between chromosome 9 and chromosome 22 (t9: 22). The translocation prompts to the development of a hybrid gene BCR-ALB in the Philadelphia chromosome, or Ph1. Therefore, this fusion gene mutation affects the maturation and differentiation of the haematopoietic cells (Ciesla 2007, pp. 189). However the introduction of a BCR-ALB particular tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Imatinib has significantly enhanced the survival rate of the patient with chronic myeloid leukaemia (Hochhaus, et al.2015). This essay will briefly describe the diagnosis, treatment and future strategies for chronic myeloid leukaemia.

This syndrome typically affects people between the ages of 15-60 and appears to more common in the Asian population. About 25 out of 100 of the cases of people diagnosed with aplastic anemia result from specific toxins or conditions. Toxin agents include benzene hexachloride (insecticide), lindane (used to treat lice and scabies), carbon tetrachloride (cleaning solvent), heavy metals, and kerosene. Infectious conditions such as hepatitis, which counts for 5%-10% of the cases of aplastic anemia worldwide, mononucleosis, Epstein Barr virus, human immunodeficiency virus, and tuberculosis can also lead to aplastic anemia. Lymphocytes (T-cells) are thought to be responsible for the destruction of the blood forming stem cells located in the bone marrow (Derivan & Ferrante, 2001). The other 75 out of 100 cases of people diagnosed with aplastic anemia are idiopathic (unknown) about what causes this syndrome (Cabrera & Schiebel,

This cancer is identified by the symptoms that one has when suffering from leukemia. One most common symptom is anemia. Anemia is when a person's body produces too many white blood cells that they crowd out and slow red blood cell production. Red blood cells

An unwanted growth of cell usually known cancer starts when cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control and can spread to other areas of the body. There are many types of cancer out of which AML is a most commonly found cancer.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) accounts for half of leukemia cases diagnosed in teenagers and in people in their 20s. It is the most common acute leukemia in adults. AML occurs when primitive blood-forming cells called myeloblasts reproduce without developing into normal blood cells. Immature myeloblasts crowd the bone marrow and interfere with the production of normal blood cells. This leads to anemia, a condition in which a person does not have enough red blood cells. It can also lead to bleeding and bruising (due to a lack of blood platelets, which help the blood to clot) and frequent infections (due to a lack of protective white blood cells).

which are just another form of white blood cells that are also formed in the bone marrow.

1) The Philadelphia chromosome is chromosome 22, which has undergone a reciprocal translocation with chromosome 9, such that the long arm of chromosome 22 has been replaced with the long arm of chromosome 9. This chromosome is relevant to cancer because the long arm of chromosome 9 contains human c-abl oncogene, which becomes fused to the breakpoint cluster region (bcr) in the Philadelphia chromosome, following translocation. Presence of this bcr-abl gene fusion produces a poorly regulated tyrosine kinase, which results in a much higher level of cell proliferation. The action of this tyrosine kinase results in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) symptoms, such as overproduction of white blood cells.

is attributable to administration of a drug that interferes with DNA synthesis or, rarely, to a congenital metabolic defect. Some patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) or MDS also have megaloblastic erythropoiesis. The bone marrow aspirate is often markedly hypercellular. Erythropoiesis is hyperplastic and is characterized by the presence of megaloblasts. These are large cells with a chromatin pattern more primitive than is appropriate for the degree of maturation of the cytoplasm. Late megaloblasts may be fully haemoglobinized and lack any cytoplasmic basophilia and may therefore be described as orthochromatic. Erythropoiesis is ineffective so that early erythroid cells are over-represented in comparison with

Leukemia has many different types and those types have subtypes which subdivide into more division. Leukemia is defined as an increase in cancerous white blood cells (WBC’s) which fill the bone marrow and blood stream. I will be focusing on Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) whose mechanism I could not totally understand but will try to explain to the best of my abilities. The T lymphocyte or B lymphocyte is what becomes neoplastic in ALL. Mechanisms of leukemia include chromosome rearrangement creating a Philadelphia chromosome. The growth of the white blood cells is disrupted; hyperplasia occurs in many organs and tissues due to the lymphoblast compiling, which in turn disturb their regular function. In the bone marrow the uninhibited lymphoblast

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia is a scary disease. The term “acute” means the disease can quickly spread and progress quickly and can prove fatal in months if left untreated. “Lymphocytic” simply means that it develops from immature forms of lymphocytes. Also known as Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, or ALL for short, it is a type of cancer that starts from the early form of white blood cells called lymphocytes in the bone marrow. ALL is the most common form of cancer in children, though adults can get it as well. For children, treatment results in a good chance of a cure. Adults have a significantly smaller chance of a cure with ALL. ALL generally invades the blood very quickly and has the potential to spread to other body parts such as the spleen,