Cancer commences when the cells in the body start multiplying out of control. Cells present in any part of the body can become cancerous and spread to other parts. There are many types of cancer, one of which is leukemia. Leukemia can be curable or fatal, depending on the type of cancer.

1. What is leukemia?
Leukemia is a cancer that starts in the cells that are present in the bone marrow. The bone marrow is where the blood-forming cells originate. When cells become cancerous, they do not grow, multiply or die as a normal cell would. As these cells increase in number, they eventually leave the bone marrow and enter the bloodstream. They spread to other parts of the body and stop cells from working as they should.

2. What are the different leukemia types?
There are five leukemia types:

• Acute myeloid leukemia
• Chronic myeloid leukemia
• Acute lymphocytic leukemia
• Chronic lymphocytic
• Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia

3. What are the early symptoms of leukemia?
The initial symptoms of leukemia are:

• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Headaches
• Pain in the joints
• Shortness of breath
• Frequent infections
• Heavy bleeding when bruised

While these are some of the initial symptoms, they may vary with the leukemia type and the stage of cancer.

4. What are the differences between chronic leukemia and acute leukemia?
Leukemia is chronic or acute based on whether the abnormal cells are mature or immature. In chronic leukemia, the cells partly mature, but appear to be normal cells. They do not function or allow the surrounding cells to function. They eventually move from the bone marrow to the bloodstream. Chronic leukemia is difficult to treat compared to acute leukemia.

5. What is acute leukemia?
This is the leukemia type where bone marrow cells are unable to mature as they should. The immature cells reproduce and increase in number. This is a condition that can lead to death within a few months if not treated. There are some types of acute leukemia that can respond to treatment and even be cured.

6. What is myeloid leukemia?
There are two leukemia types, myeloid and lymphocytic, based on the bone marrow cells in which the cancer started.

• Myeloid leukemia starts in the early myeloid cells which grow to become white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets making cells.
• Lymphocytic leukemia starts in cells that grow to become lymphocytes.

7. What is the difference between lymphocytic leukemia and lymphoma?
Both types of cancer originate in the lymphocytes; in lymphocytic leukemia, the cancer cells are mainly in the bone marrow and blood. In the case of lymphomas, cancer tends to be in the tissues and the lymph nodes.

8. What is chronic myelomonocytic leukemia?
CMML is the leukemia type that originates in the myeloid cells that are present in the bone marrow. They multiply and move into the bloodstream. Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia is most commonly seen in older adults.