can leukemia come and go before finally getting bad?

Question

Answer 1

Yes: There are many types of leukemia. Some are so-called chronic leukemias that can persist for long periods of time before they need to be treated.

Answer 2

Yes: Leukemia can be treated and go into remission, and can then recur. It can be a fatal illness.

Answer 3

Drugs +/- radiation: Various chemotherapy drugs and new targeted therapies are used that preferentially kill cancer cells while minimizing side effects. Sometimes radiation is used alone or in addition to drugs depending on the type and stage of cancer. This is a discussion you will have with your cancer team during which you should have ample opportunity to ask questions. Take a pad and paper with you.

Answer 4

Mainly by drugs: The treatment of leukemia ranges from simple oral drugs (e.g. Chronic myeloid leukemia) to intensive chemotherapy (in most acute leukemias) and all the way to bone marrow transplantation (for high risk and relapsed leukemias). Radiation can be used to treat certain high-risk relapse areas like the spine or brain in certain situations.

Answer 5

It can be: There are different kinds of leukemia.The more aggressive acute leukemias are the most serious in that they grow quickly and can lead to death if not treated promptly. On the other hand, these have a chance of being cured depending on the type of leukemia, the age and performance status of the patient, etc. On the other hand chronic leukemias as a rule do not progress quickly but are rarely cured.

Answer 6

Yes. : Without treatment leukemia will be fatal. There are good treatments for leukemia.

Answer 7

Blood cell cancer: Leukemia is cancer of one of the bone marrow cells. The cells start growing quickly and either enter the blood stream where they are first detected or build up in the bone marrow where people are diagnosed after becoming ill from infection or bleeding because the normal blood cells are crowded out and can't do their jobs. Granulocytes, lymphocytes, red cells and platelets can turn cancerous.

Answer 8

Cancer: Camcer of blood cells or bone marrow.

Answer 9

Blood cancer: Generally speaking, leukemia is a form of cancer, more specifically a cancer that usually originates in the bone marrow and then spreads into the blood. There are many different types and subtypes with their own particularities.

Answer 10

Anyone but rarely: Leukemia, although frightening, is a rare disease. Outside of children, many adults do die from the acute disease although this is not the case with the chronic leukemias. Although there are a few things that may increase the chance of getting leukemia (high doses of radiation, previous treatment of cancer, down's syndrome, some chemicals), no cause can be found in most cases.

Answer 11

See below: Leukemia can occur at any age. Environmental risk factors for developing leukemia include exposure to radiation, chemotherapy, certain chemicals (benzene), and decreased immune system. There are disorders that you can be born with that increase leukemic risk. Down syndrome and other genetic syndromes can increase the risk.

Answer 12

Anyone...: can get leukemia. Rarely some individuals might inherit a familial disposition, and a few occupational exposures may increase risk (radiation or benzene exposure). More often it occurs from a series of random mutations that happens by bad luck in a single bone marrow stem cell. These mutations causes it to increase in number dramatically, pushing out healthy cells, but leaves them under developed.

Answer 13

Moderation: It sounds cliche but exposures to things which cause cancer are usually a lifetime exposure issue as compared to a one time occurrence. This is why occupational (longterm) exposure to certain carcinogens or environmental agents (smoking) can increase the risk.

Answer 14

Reduce exposure: We wish as a community we had a better answer to this question. One thing we do know about leukemia is that its incidence is increased after exposure to radiation (e.g. Chernobyl) and some chemotherapy agents.

can leukemia come and go before finally getting bad?

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