Leukemia: Overview, Types & Treatment

Overview of leukemia: acute and chronic types, symptoms, diagnosis, and modern treatment including chemotherapy and targeted therapy.

10 min readLast updated: 2026-02-17

Quick Facts

Classification
Acute or chronic; lymphoid or myeloid
Most Common
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children; CLL in adults
Treatment
Modern therapies achieve remission in majority of patients

What Is Leukemia?

Leukemia is a malignancy of blood-forming cells in the bone marrow, resulting in uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal white blood cells. These abnormal cells crowd out normal blood cells, impairing immune function, oxygen transport, and clotting. Leukemia is classified as acute (rapidly progressive) or chronic (slow-growing) and further divided into lymphoid and myeloid types. Modern treatments have dramatically improved survival rates, particularly in children.

Key Info
Leukemia treatment has advanced significantly. Most acute leukemias respond to chemotherapy, and targeted therapies offer hope for chronic leukemias. Prognosis depends on type, age, and genetic factors.

Causes and Risk Factors

Risk factors include:

  • Genetic predisposition
  • Previous cancer treatment
  • Smoking and toxic exposure
  • Infections (hepatitis C, HTLV-1)
  • Immunosuppression
  • Down syndrome and other genetic disorders
  • Age (CLL more common in elderly)

Most cases arise without identifiable cause.

Symptoms

Acute leukemia symptoms:

  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Fever and chills
  • Frequent infections
  • Easy bruising or bleeding
  • Petechiae (small red spots)
  • Bone and joint pain
  • Splenomegaly
  • Lymphadenopathy

Chronic leukemia may be asymptomatic initially, found on routine bloodwork.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis involves:

  • Complete blood count (CBC)
  • Differential white blood cell count
  • Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy (gold standard)
  • Flow cytometry
  • Cytochemical and molecular studies
  • Imaging (chest X-ray, abdominal imaging)
Clinical Note
Leukemia diagnosis requires bone marrow examination. Cytochemistry and molecular analysis guide classification and targeted therapy selection.

Treatment and Management

Acute leukemia:

  • Intensive chemotherapy (induction)
  • Consolidation therapy
  • Stem cell transplantation (high-risk patients)

Chronic leukemia:

  • Observation ("watch and wait") for early stages
  • Targeted therapies (tyrosine kinase inhibitors)
  • Conventional chemotherapy
  • Monoclonal antibodies

Supportive care:

  • Infection prevention and management
  • Transfusion support
  • Growth factor support
  • Leukostasis management

Prevention

While genetic predisposition cannot be changed, risk reduction includes:

  • Smoking cessation
  • Minimizing toxic exposures
  • Proper handling of hazardous materials
  • Regular monitoring in high-risk individuals
Warning
Severe symptoms including high fever, bleeding, respiratory distress, or altered mental status require emergency evaluation. Leukostasis is a medical emergency.

When to See a Doctor

See a doctor for unexplained fever, persistent infections, unusual bleeding, or fatigue. Anyone with newly diagnosed leukemia should be referred to a hematology-oncology specialist. Regular monitoring ensures treatment response and complication management.

Sources

  1. [1]Dohner H, Weisdorf DJ, Bloomfield CD. "Leukemia." Lancet, 2015.
  2. [2]Tallman MS, Wang ES, Altman JK, et al.. "Acute Leukemia Treatment." Leukemia, 2019.

Medically reviewed by

Medical Review Team, Hematology/Oncology

Last updated: 2026-02-17Sources: 2

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