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Leukemia And Its Effects On Cancer Development

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Each year, it is estimated that approximately 50,000 people globally will be diagnosed with leukemia, and they will have a 58.5% chance of survival in the next 5 years (National Cancer Institute, 2015). Leukemia is a group of cancers that originate from bone marrow and create cancerous blood cells that overcrowd healthy blood cells within the bone marrow. (National Cancer Institute, 2014). Compared to other types of cancer, leukemia is considered to be relatively rare (National Cancer Institute, 2015). Despite this, leukemia is unlike other cancers due to the fact that there are over a dozen different types of leukemia (Swierzewski, 1999), with each type having specific symptoms depending on the type of blood cell that is cancerous. In response to this fact, identifying how leukemia is caused and how it affects cancer development has been a topic undergoing intense research. In regards to the cancer stem cell theory, studies have isolated potential leukemic stem cells which are suggestive of why cancer cells proliferate (Reya et al. 2001). Subsequently, it is necessary to understand how leukemia is caused, the symptoms associated with this disease, and the potential treatments for those who are currently afflicted.

There are many different types and variations of leukemia, and not all types have singular, concrete causes associated with them. One of the four most common types of leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, is characterised by the unregulated growth of blasts which

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