Leukemia

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood Progresses rapidly without treatment Does not have a clear cause Click here to access ALL statistics.  Click here to access information about ALL in children and teens. 

  What You Should Know It's important to start treatment soon after diagnosis. ALL is also called acute lymphocytic leuke...

  Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) Is a cancer of the bone marrow and the blood Progresses rapidly without treatment Affects mostly cells that aren't fully developed- these cells can't carry out their normal functions Can be a difficult disease to treat. Researchers are studying new approaches to AML therapy in clinical trials. Click here to access AML statistics.     What You Sho...

  Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) Is a type of blood cancer that begins in the bone marrow Can progress either slowly or quickly depending on the form it takes Click here to access CLL statistics. What You Should Know CLL is the most common type of leukemia in adults in Western countries.  Hematologists and oncologists are specialists who treat people who have CLL or other type...

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) Is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood CML is usually diagnosed in its chronic phase when treatment is very effective for most patients CML has three phases Click here to access CML statistics.    What You Should Know Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is also called chronic myelogenous leukemia, chronic granulocytic leukemia and chronic myelocyti...

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) Is a type of blood cancer that begins in the bone marrow Is a rare type of chronic leukemia  Hairy cell leukemia gets its name from the short, thin projections that look like hair on its cells.   What You Should Know Many people with hairy cell leukemia live good-quality lives for years with medical care. Hematologists and oncologists are specialists who t...

Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) Is an uncommon blood cancer that has features of two other types of blood cancers. For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies CMML as myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms. There are about 1,100 cases each year.  Generally affects older adults. Is diagnosed in twice as many males than females. Has been reported in only a small number of...

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) Is an uncommon blood cancer that have overlapping features of two other types of blood cancers. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) as a “myelodysplastic/ myeloproliferative neoplasm.” Is most commonly diagnosed in infants and children younger than 4 years old Accounts for about 1-2 percent of all ch...

Large granular lymphocytic (LGL) leukemia is a type of chronic leukemia affecting white blood cells called "lymphocytes."  Lymphocytes are part of the body's immune system and help fight certain infections. LGL leukemia is characterized by enlarged lymphocytes, containing noticeable granules, which can be seen when the blood is examined under the microscope. There are two types of LGL leukemia: T-cell (T-LGL) an...

For personalized disease and treatment information, or to learn about clinical trials, contact one of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS's) Information Specialists at (800) 955-4572.   Background Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) was previously known as natural killer (NK) cell leukemia/lymphoma. As understanding of the biology and origin of this malignancy has ...

B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (B-PLL) is a very rare and typically aggressive malignancy (cancer) characterized by the out of control growth of B-cells (B-lymphocytes).  B-cells are a type of white blood cell that is part of the immune system. B-PLL usually affects older adults with a median age at diagnosis of 69 years, and it is slightly more common in men than women.  Most of the time, B-PLL occurs as a...

T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is an extremely rare and typically aggressive malignancy (cancer) that is characterized by the out of control growth of mature T-cells (T-lymphocytes). T-cells are a type of white blood cell that protects the body from infections. T-PLL affects older adults with a median age at diagnosis of 61 years, and it is more common in men than in women. Abnormal changes (mutations) in ...