Leukemia is a cancer that starts in blood stem cells (immature blood cells) in the bone marrow. Bone marrow is the soft, spongy material that fills the centre of most bones.
There are several different types of leukemia. The 4 main types of leukemia are: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
About this Cancer
- According to the Canadian Cancer Society 2024 statistics, it is estimated that 6,600 Canadians will be diagnosed with leukemia (of which 60% are men and 40% are women).
- Of those diagnosed, 46% of the men will die from leukemia, whereas 50% of the women diagnosed will die from it.
Source: Canadian Cancer Society (2024)
The following are symptoms of Leukemia:
- Persistent fatigue
- Fever
- Night sweats
- Frequent infections
- Pale skin
- Shortness of breath
- Unexplained weight loss
- Bone pain or tenderness
- Swollen lymph nodes (neck, underarm, stomach, enlarged spleen or liver)
- Bruising and bleeding easily (nosebleeds, bleeding gums, darkened skin patches, petechiae)
- Malaise
- Vision problems
- Sores in the eyes
- Chloroma
- Leukemia cutis
- Leukocytoclastic vasculitis
For more information, visit the Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, or the Canadian Cancer Society.
The following are risk factors for Leukemia:
- High levels of radiation
- Previous radiotherapy or chemotherapy
- Smoking
- Breathing in benzene or formaldehyde
- Family cancer syndromes
- Genetic disorders
For more information, visit the Cleveland Clinic, or the Canadian Cancer Society.
The following are diagnosis options for Leukemia:
- Health history & physical exam
- CBC
- Blood chemistry tests
- Blood clotting factors
- Cytochemistry
- Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy
- Immunophenotyping
- Flow cytometry
- Immunohistochemistry
- Cell Assessment
- Cytogenetic and molecular studies
- Lumbar puncture
- Lymph node biopsy
- Chest x-ray
- CT scan
- MRI
- Ultrasound
For more information, visit the Canadian Cancer Society, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, or Mayo Clinic.
Treatment options vary depending on the types of leukemia (ALL, AML, CLL, CML). Options include:
- Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy
- Supportive therapy
- Surgery
- Targeted therapy
- Radiation therapy
- Stem cell transplant
- Hematopoietic cell transplant
- Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy
- Watchful waiting
For more information, check out the Canadian Cancer Society, Mayo Clinic, or Cleveland Clinic.
Stories from Survivors
- Certainty Takes On A Whole New Meaning When You Are Living With Cancer – Lisa Machado
- Leukemia Didn’t Beat Me. I Beat It! – Jason Clark
If you would like to share your leukemia story, please email us at info@survivornet.ca.
- BaldyLocks
- Battling Roses & Thorns – Life with Cancer
- Change of Perspective
- Constanze’s Sexy Oops – I – GOT – LEUKAEMIA BLOG…
- Embracing My “New Normal” – Life after Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Relapse and Stem-Cell Transplant
- Floppy Hat Faye
- Learning from and about Cancer (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia or CLL) By Dr. Brian Koffman
- Life, Interrupted
- Life’s a Beach
- Little Air Bear
- My Blood Hates Me
- Riding the Cancer Coaster: Survival Guide for Teens
- Running for My Life: Fighting Cancer One Step At A Time
- A Spoon Full Of Sugar
- Stem Cell Transplant Journey
- Patient Stories – Emily Whitehead Foundation
Resources
- Eating well with blood cancer
- Food and Nutrition
- Leukemia: Care Instructions – MyHealth Alberta
- Leukemia Prevention: Tips, Facts, and More
- Nutrition and diets for leukemia
- Nutrition Tips for Leukemia Patients: What to Eat and Why
- Reducing your risk for leukemia
- Types of Leukemia
- Ways to Prepare for Leukemia Treatment
- What is Leukemia?
- August 29th, 2024 – New anti-cancer ‘degrader’ targets protein essential to infant leukemia – Van Andel Institute
- August 5th, 2024 – Age impacts pharmacogenomics and treatment outcomes for most common form of leukemia – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
- August 1st, 2024 – Targeting protein has potential to treat leukemia, lymphoma – UT Southwestern Medical Center
- July 20th, 2024 – New research discovers a new combination of therapy for people with a type of leukemia, leading them to live longer – Mayo Clinic
- June 20th, 2024 – Acute myeloid leukemia discovery tackles drug-resistant gene mutations – Indiana University
- 2024 – Nanozymes: a new approach for leukemia therapy – Royal Society of Chemistry
- March 16, 2023 – The evolution of acute lymphoblastic leukemia research and therapy at MD Anderson over four decades– Springer Link
- October 6, 2021 – Advances in acute myeloid leukemia – The BMJ
- September 2021 – Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Modern therapies, current challenges and future directions – Science Direct
- April 30, 2021 – Diagnosis and treatment of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia – KoreaMed
- November 20, 2020 – Advances of nanoparticles for leukemia treatment – ACS Publications
- October 30, 2020 – New directions for emerging therapies in acute myeloid leukemia: the next chapter – nature
- August 17, 2020 – Research advances in nanomedicine, immunotherapy, and combination therapy for leukemia – Journal of Leukocyte Biology
- April 1, 2020 – Advances in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia: new drugs and new challenges – AACR Journals
Bladder Cancer Groups
- Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada:“In the 1950s, five women around a kitchen table decided to make a difference and started raising money for leukemia research, founding what is now known as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada.” Visit them at https://www.bloodcancers.ca/
- Imagine a Cure for Leukemia:“Imagine a Cure for Leukemia was born in 2006 with the purpose of providing hope, strength and courage to people with leukemia. We fund projects where medical breakthroughs have already been achieved, and where additional money is needed to turn them into better treatments for people.”Visit them at https://www.imagineacureforleukemia.com/