Leukemia

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Leukemia

• By Nick Payne
• Brian Saxton
• Jesse Hedricks

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The Background
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What is cancer?

• Cancer is the general name for a group of more
  than 100 diseases in which cells in a part of the
  body begin to grow out of control.
• Cancer cells develop because of damage to the
  DNA.
• DNA gets damaged by things in the environment,
  exposure to chemicals, viruses, tobacco smoke or
  too much sunlight.

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Leukemia

• Leukemia is the cancer of bone marrow, the soft,
  spongy center of the bone which produces blood
  cells
• In most cases of leukemia, the bone marrow
  produces too many immature white blood cells
  called blasts that are abnormally shaped and
  cannot carry out their duties.

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Types of leukemia

• There are many types of leukemia, four main types
  are
• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
• Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
• Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)

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How does it effect the body?

• The regular mature leukocytes can not reproduce
  and are replaced at the end of their lives.
  However, leukemic cells have the ability to
  reproduce but they don't have the ability to
  develop sufficiently to act like the normal
  leukocytes against infection. With the progress
  of Leukemia, the leukemic cells replace the
  regular leukocytes, leaving the patient
  completely vulnerable to infection.

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How does it effect the cell cycle?

• Normally, various cell cycle checkpoints function
  to halt progression into synthesis or mitotic
  phases until threshold level of growth signals is
  attained, after which cell division may proceed.
• In leukemia, mutations can cause an overabundance
  of growth signals, or a lack of reliance on
  inhibition signals, so that cells divide in an
  unregulated manner.

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Statistics
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General leukemia

• Diagnosed 10 times more often in adults than in
  children.
• Leading cause of death by disease in children
  between the ages of 1 and 14.
• Accounts for about 30 of cancer cases in
  children aged 0-15.
• Each year about 30,000 new cases of leukemia are
  diagnosed.

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Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)

• Most common type in young children.
• Does effect adults.
• 1,460 people will die of ALL in the next year.
• 3 out of 4 of these deaths will be in adults.

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Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)

• 12,000 new cases of leukemia each year.
• Occurs in both adults and children.
• Most patients will be adults.
• 8,820 deaths per year (US 2008)

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Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

• CLL is responsible for about 9,700 new cases of
  leukemia each year. Most often, people diagnosed
  with the disease are older than 55. It almost
  never affects children.
• 15,110 new cases (US 2008)
• 4,390 people will die ( US 2008)
• Accounts for 1-3 of all leukemia.

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Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)

• 4,830 new cases of CML (US, 2008)
• 450 people will die of CML (US, 2008)
• CML accounts for about 10 to 15 of all
  leukemia.
• Risk 1 in 500.

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Treatment
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Chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy is the major form of treatment for
  leukemia.
• This treatment uses chemical agents to kill
  leukemia cells. Depending on the type of leukemia
  you have, you may receive a single drug or a
  combination of one or more drugs.
• These drugs may come in a pill form, or they may
  be injected directly into a vein.

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Drug (ATRA)

• Arsenic Trioxide and all-trans retinoic acid
  (ATRA) are anti-cancer drugs that doctors can use
  alone.
• These drugs cause leukemia cells with a specific
  gene mutation to mature and die.

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Radiation Therapy

• Uses X-rays or other high-energy rays to damage
  leukemia cells and stop their growth.
• May be concentrated to one area, or to whole body.

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Bone Marrow Transplant

• Replaces leukemic bone marrow with leukemic-free
  marrow.
• High doses of chemotherapy or radiation are used
  to destroy your bone marrow.
• This marrow is then replaced with other bone
  marrow.

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Stem Cell Transplant

• The SCT procedure enables physicians to give
  chemotherapy and radiotherapy in doses that are
  strong enough to eliminate leukemia cells.
• The injured bone marrow then is replenished by a
  transplant of stem cells, which can manufacture
  the necessary new blood cells.

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References

• Leukemia Research Foundation
  www.livingwithleukemia.org
• Revolution Health www.revolutionhealth.com
• Leukemia Lymphoma Society www.leukemia-lympho
  ma.org
• American Cancer Society www.cancer.org
• HealthAtoZ www.healthatoz.com
• Oncology Channel www.oncologychannel.com
• Mayo Clinic www.mayoclinic.com