Leukemia causes uncontrollable growth and reproduction of cells called leukocytes. In acute leukemia, leukocytes are less mature, develop fast, and become dysfunctional cells called blasts as they leave the bone marrow. In chronic leukemia, leukocytes develop more slowly, potentially taking years to cause symptoms.
Also, chronic leukemia mostly involves more mature, functional cells and does not typically involve high numbers of blasts.
Leukemia is a general term for any type of cancer that affects specific cells in a person’s bone marrow, blood, or lymphatic system. In the United States, leukemia rates have been
This article discusses acute and chronic forms of leukemia, comparing their symptoms, causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. It also provides information about living with leukemia.
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Leukemia is a condition in which cells in the bone marrow develop in an uncontrolled and harmful manner. The way in which this process occurs determines whether an individual has acute or chronic leukemia.
The terms acute and chronic leukemia do not refer to the duration of the disease.
When a person has acute leukemia, their bone marrow
By contrast, chronic leukemia tends to affect more mature, functional cells and develop slowly. A person could have leukemia for several years without experiencing any symptoms.
Other types and subtypes
Doctors also distinguish between myelogenous and lymphocytic leukemia. These terms indicate the predominant type of cell that the condition affects.
More specifically, the terms describe whether the main cell involved is myeloid or lymphoid.
There are four main subtypes of these types of leukemia:
Chronic and acute leukemia may cause similar symptoms. However, in chronic leukemia, symptoms may develop later. A person may not notice symptoms until
Acute leukemia
Symptoms of acute leukemia may begin sooner, and the condition can progress rapidly. Symptoms may also be more severe in acute leukemia and can include:
- fatigue
- unexplained weight loss
- fever
- shortness of breath
- paler skin
- tiny red spots under the skin
- frequent infections that do not improve with treatment
- easy bruising and bleeding
- wounds that take more time to heal
- bone and joint pain
Chronic leukemia
Chronic leukemia symptoms are usually less severe and develop more slowly than those of acute leukemia.
Leukemia develops when there has been an interruption or blockage in the life cycle of a cell.
The
- Chronic leukemia: This type of leukemia is due to a failure in the cell life cycle after the cells have become mature. As a result, they do not protect the body against infection as effectively.
- Acute leukemia: This type of the condition develops when there has been a blockage in the cell’s early development. Cells do not mature properly and can build up excessively.
Cancers
Leukemia may be a result of DNA changes in the cells. For instance, there
Genes can control how the body destroys and rids itself of dangerous chemicals. If a person has such a gene, and it does not work properly, they are more at risk of damage from these chemicals. That is because their body may not be able to break down harmful chemicals properly if they come into contact with them.
It
- a complete blood cell count
- a complete metabolic panel
- a liver function test
Doctors diagnose acute leukemia slightly differently than they do chronic leukemia. Acute leukemia often requires a bone marrow biopsy, which checks for the number of blast cells. This is not always necessary for diagnosing chronic leukemia.
Treatment
Chronic leukemia
Since chronic leukemia tends to develop in older adults, doctors use targeted therapies to kill cancer cells without affecting other cells, thus decreasing the risk of side effects.
Chemotherapy vs. targeted therapy
Chemotherapy works by destroying not only cancerous cells but also healthy cells. With chemotherapy, doctors aim to kill the cancer cells and let the healthy cells recover.
However, this type of treatment can cause complications throughout the rest of the body, which is why older adults or people with other health conditions
By contrast, targeted therapies only attack cancer cells and therefore reduce a person’s risk of complications.
Learn about treatment options by phase for CML here.
Acute leukemia
Treatment for acute leukemia will depend on how aggressive the condition is and what its unique genetic characteristics are.
Doctors
Next, they will ensure all the harmful cells are gone either by administering more chemotherapy or by carrying out a stem cell transplant.
The outlook for people with leukemia
Chronic leukemia
Although chronic leukemia is
For example, some people with chronic leukemia do not experience symptoms for years and will require treatment only when the symptoms start occurring.
Acute leukemia
This is a more aggressive, fast-growing type of leukemia, but there have been enormous advances in its treatment.
Authors of a
Before the year 1990, the overall 5-year survival rate for this condition was 51%. Since 2010, this has increased to 72%. The survival rates for children up to 14 years of age have improved from 73% to 93% in the same time frame.
The survival rate refers to the proportion of people who are still alive for a length of time after receiving a particular diagnosis. For example, a 5-year survival rate of 50% means that 50%, or half, of the people are still alive 5 years after receiving the diagnosis.
It is important to remember that these figures are estimates and are based on the results of previous studies or treatments. A person can consult a healthcare professional about how their condition is going to affect them.
Acute leukemia occurs when leukocytes are less mature and fast-developing and become dysfunctional cells called blasts as they leave the bone marrow.
By contrast, chronic leukemia occurs when leukocytes develop more slowly, potentially taking years to cause symptoms. Chronic leukemia mostly involves more mature, functional cells and does not typically involve high numbers of blasts.
People with a diagnosis of chronic leukemia can live a normal life, and the outlook is positive.
Acute leukemia is more aggressive and develops much more quickly. However, research on treatment is quickly advancing, increasing the number of treatment options and thus improving the outlook.