Leukemia is cancer of the bone marrow and blood. It involves the white blood cells known as leukocytes. The two major forms of acute leukemia are called acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute myelocytic leukemia.

White blood cells defend your body against infection. Blood cells grow in the bone marrow. They are supposed to be fully grown when they enter the bloodstream. Leukemia causes one or more of the kinds of white blood cells to lose their ability to mature. Immature white blood cells are called blasts. Blasts take over the bone marrow and prevent it from making enough normal red and white blood cells and platelets.

Risk factors for developing leukemia include genetics and exposure to radiation, chemicals, and drugs, including the ones used to treat other kinds of cancer. Initial symptoms include fatigue, fever, excessive bleeding from small cuts, easy bruising, swollen lymph nodes, and frequent infections.

Treatment usually involves intensive chemotherapy. Its purpose is to kill all of the leukemic cells in the body. These drugs also kill normal cells. This may cause you to become dangerously ill. Antibiotics and blood transfusions are sometimes used to help combat the side effects of treatment until your body begins making normal cells again. Another treatment option is bone marrow transplantation. Very high doses of chemotherapy wipe out the leukemia in the bone marrow. Then you get new marrow from a compatible donor.

To learn more about leukemia, call the Leukemia Society at (800) 955-4LSA, the National Cancer Institute at (800) 4-CANCER, or the American Cancer Society at (800) ACS-2345.

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