What is leukemia mayo clinic

However, several factors that may increase your risk have been identified. These include :. Leukemia is usually treated by a hematologist-oncologist. These are doctors who specialize in blood disorders and cancer. The treatment depends on the type and stage of the cancer. Some forms of leukemia grow slowly and do not need immediate treatment. However, treatment for leukemia usually involves one or more of the following :. Leukemia may be suspected if you have concerning symptoms or certain risk factors.

A doctor will begin by looking at your complete history and performing a physical examination. However, leukemia cannot be fully diagnosed by a physical exam.

Instead, doctors will make a diagnosis using:. A diagnosis is typically confirmed using a bone marrow biopsy and aspiration. There are a number of different tests that can be used to diagnose leukemia. Looking at your blood under a microscope can also determine if the cells have an abnormal appearance.

Tissue biopsies can be taken from the bone marrow or lymph nodes to look for evidence of leukemia. These small samples can identify the type of leukemia and its growth rate. Biopsies of other organs, such as the liver and spleen, can show if the cancer has spread. Once leukemia is diagnosed, it will be staged. Staging finds out how much the cancer has spread and progressed, and it helps a doctor determine your outlook. AML and ALL are staged based on how cancer cells look under a microscope and the type of cells involved.

The presence of immature white blood cells, or myeloblasts, in the blood and bone marrow is also used to stage AML and CML. A number of other tests can be used to determine the progression of the disease:. The long-term outlook for people who have leukemia depends on the type of cancer they have and their stage at diagnosis.

Some factors, like older age, past history of blood disorders, and chromosome mutations, can negatively affect the outlook.

According to the NCI, the number of leukemia deaths has been falling on average 1. The 5-year survival rate or percent of people surviving at least 5 years after receiving a diagnosis was 65 percent from to Work with your medical team to treat leukemia and find out your specific outlook. Read this article in Spanish.

One type of blood cancer is called multiple myeloma and let's clear up any confusion. Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell.

Healthy plasma cells help you fight infections by making antibodies that recognize and attack germs. When people have multiple myeloma, cancerous plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow and crowd out healthy blood cells. This is like weeds crowding out healthy plants in a garden. Rather than produce helpful antibodies, the cancer cells produce abnormal proteins that can cause complications.

Multiple myeloma is a relatively uncommon cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. In the U. About 35, new cases will be diagnosed in , with about 12, expected deaths.

It's not clear what causes multiple myeloma to develop. It's known that it begins with one abnormal plasma cell in your bone marrow, and the abnormal cell multiplies rapidly.

Because cancer cells don't mature and then die as normal cells do, they accumulate, eventually overwhelming the production of healthy cells. In the bone marrow, myeloma cells crowd out healthy blood cells, leading to fatigue and an inability to fight infections. If tests indicate you have multiple myeloma, your health care provider will use the information gathered from the diagnostic tests to classify your disease as stage I, stage II or stage III. Stage I indicates a less aggressive disease, and stage III indicates the most aggressive disease.

Your multiple myeloma also may be assigned a risk category, which indicates the aggressiveness of your disease. Myeloma is not curable, but it is treatable.

If you're experiencing symptoms, treatment can help relieve pain, control complications of the disease, stabilize your condition and slow the progress of multiple myeloma. A health care provider experienced in treating multiple myeloma will recommend a treatment plan based on your situation. If you have multiple myeloma but aren't experiencing any symptoms, you might not need treatment right away.

This is also known as smoldering multiple myeloma. Also, immediate treatment may not be necessary for multiple myeloma that is slow-growing and at an early stage. However, your health care provider will regularly monitor your condition for signs that the disease is progressing. Bone marrow transplant. A bone marrow transplant, also called a stem cell transplant, helps reestablish healthy stem cells by replacing unhealthy bone marrow with leukemia-free stem cells that will regenerate healthy bone marrow.

Prior to a bone marrow transplant, you receive very high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy to destroy your leukemia-producing bone marrow.

Then you receive an infusion of blood-forming stem cells that help rebuild your bone marrow. Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition. A diagnosis of leukemia may be devastating — especially for the family of a newly diagnosed child. With time you'll find ways to cope with the distress and uncertainty of cancer. Until then, you may find it helps to:. Learn enough about leukemia to make decisions about your care.

Ask your doctor about your leukemia, including your treatment options and, if you like, your prognosis. As you learn more about leukemia, you may become more confident in making treatment decisions.

The term "leukemia" can be confusing because it refers to a group of cancers that aren't all that similar except for the fact that they affect the bone marrow and blood. You can waste a lot of time researching information that doesn't apply to your kind of leukemia.

To avoid that, ask your doctor to write down as much information about your specific disease as possible. Then narrow your search for information accordingly. Find someone to talk with. Find a good listener who is willing to listen to you talk about your hopes and fears. This may be a friend or family member. The concern and understanding of a counselor, medical social worker, clergy member or cancer support group also may be helpful.

Ask your doctor about support groups in your area. Start by seeing your family doctor if you have signs or symptoms that worry you. If your doctor suspects you have leukemia, you may be referred to a doctor who specializes in diseases of the blood and bone marrow hematologist.

Because appointments can be brief, and because there's often a lot of information to discuss, it's a good idea to be prepared. Here's some information to help you get ready, and know what to expect from your doctor.

Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your time together.