I'm posting this mostly to show the stages or phases...

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Prevention

There is no way to prevent most forms of leukemia. In the future, genetic
testing may play a larger role in identifying people who are more likely to
develop the illness. Until then, close relatives of people with leukemia should
follow a normal schedule of routine physical exams, unless suspicious symptoms
develop.

Treatment

Acute leukemia
Unlike other cancers, the treatment of acute leukemia does not depend on how far
the disease has advanced, but on the person's condition and on whether the
person is newly diagnosed, continuing treatment, in remission (the disease is
controlled) or the disease has come back after a remission.

With acute lymphoid leukemia, treatment generally occurs in phases, although not
all phases are used for all people with the disease:

   * Phase 1 (called induction therapy) uses chemotherapy in the hospital to
try to control the disease.
   * Phase 2 (called consolidation) continues chemotherapy, but on an
outpatient basis (returning to the hospital for treatment, but not staying
overnight) to keep the person in remission.
   * Phase 3 (called prophylaxis) uses different chemotherapy drugs, sometimes
combined with radiation therapy, to prevent the leukemia from entering the brain
and central nervous system.
   * Phase 4 (called maintenance) involves regular physical exams and
laboratory tests after the leukemia has been treated to be sure that it has not
returned.
   * Recurrent leukemia uses further doses of various chemotherapy drugs in
different dosages to combat a disease that has returned. People may need several
years of chemotherapy to keep the leukemia in remission. Some people may receive
a bone marrow transplant.

With acute myeloid leukemia, treatment generally depends on the type of the
disease, as well as the person's age and overall health. Usually people receive
induction therapy in an effort to send the leukemia into remission.
Consolidation and maintenance therapies may be used, but they are less effective
for acute myeloid leukemia than for acute lymphoid leukemia. For all types of
acute leukemia, a bone marrow transplant is an option when chemotherapy alone
has been less successful.

Chronic leukemia
For chronic lymphoid leukemia, the next step after diagnosis is to determine the
extent of the cancer. This is called staging. There are four stages of chronic
lymphoid leukemia:

   * Stage 0 — There are too many lymphocytes in the blood. Generally, there
are no other symptoms of leukemia.
   * Stage I — Lymph nodes are swollen because of too many lymphocytes in the
blood.
   * Stage II — Lymph nodes, spleen and liver are swollen as a result of an
overabundance of lymphocytes.
   * Stage III — Anemia has developed because there are too few red blood cells
in the blood.
   * Stage IV — There are too few platelets in the blood. Lymph nodes, spleen
and liver may be swollen. Anemia may be present.

Treatment of chronic lymphoid leukemia depends on the stage of the disease, as
well as on the person's age and overall health. In the earliest stage, treatment
may not be needed, though the person's health will be monitored closely. In
Stage I or II, observation or chemotherapy is the usual treatment. In Stage III
or IV, intensive chemotherapy or multiple drug chemotherapies may be used. Some
people also may be treated with a bone marrow transplant.

A drug called Gleevec has become standard therapy for those in the early stage
of this disease, with or without a bone marrow transplant.

Leukemia
# What Is It?
# Symptoms
# Diagnosis
# Expected Duration
# Prevention
#  Treatment
# When To Call A Professional
# Prognosis
# Additional Info

What Is It?

Leukemia is a form of cancer that affects the body's blood making system,
including the lymphatic system and bone marrow. Leukemia is either acute (coming
on suddenly) or chronic (lasting a long time). Chronic leukemia rarely affects
children, while acute leukemia affects both adults and children.

Leukemia accounts for about 2 percent of all cancers. It strikes nine out of
every 100,000 people in the United States every year. Men are more likely to
develop leukemia than women, and white people get the disease more than other
racial or ethnic groups. Adults are 10 times more likely to develop leukemia
than children. Leukemia occurs most often in the elderly. When leukemia occurs
in children, it happens most often before age 4.

Acute leukemia
With acute leukemia, immature blood cells reproduce quickly in the bone marrow,
where they eventually crowd out healthy cells. These immature, abnormal cells
can spread to other organs, leading to damage. The two main types of acute
leukemia involve different types of blood cells:

   * Acute lymphoid leukemia is the most common type of leukemia that affects
children, primarily those under age 10. Adults sometimes develop acute lymphoid
leukemia, but it is rare in people over age 50. It occurs when primitive blood
forming cells, called lymphoblasts, reproduce without developing into normal
blood cells. These abnormal cells crowd out healthy blood cells. They can
collect in the lymph nodes and cause swelling.

   * Acute myeloid leukemia accounts for 50 percent of leukemia diagnosed in
teenagers and in people in their 20s. It is the most common acute leukemia in
adults. It occurs when primitive blood forming cells (called myeloblasts)
reproduce without developing into normal blood cells. Immature myeloblast cells
crowd the bone marrow and interfere with the production of healthy normal blood
cells. This leads to anemia (not having enough red blood cells) and to frequent
infections because there are not enough protective white blood cells.

Chronic leukemia
Chronic leukemia is when the body produces too many blood cells that have
developed part way, but that often cannot function like mature blood cells.
Chronic leukemia usually develops more slowly and is a less dramatic illness
than acute leukemia. There are two main types of chronic leukemia:

   * Chronic lymphoid leukemia is rare in people under 30. It is more likely to
develop the older a person gets. The greatest number of cases occur in people
between ages 60 and 70. In this form of leukemia, the abnormal cells in the bone
marrow are a type of blood cells called lymphocytes. These abnormal cells cannot
fight infection as well as normal cells can. With chronic lymphoid leukemia,
cancerous cells live in the bone marrow, blood, spleen and lymph nodes, where
they produce swelling that appears as swollen glands.

   * Chronic myeloid leukemia occurs most often in people between ages 25 and
60. In this form of leukemia, the abnormal cells are a type of blood cells
called myeloid cells. Chronic myeloid leukemia cells usually involve an
inherited (genetic) abnormality called the Philadelphia chromosome. However,
this disease is not always inherited. People who are exposed to too much
radiation or benzene, a chemical found in unleaded gasoline, are more likely to
develop this form of leukemia. Chronic myeloid leukemia sometimes can be cured
with a bone marrow transplant.

The vast majority of leukemias occur in people without any family history of
leukemia, and are not believed to be inherited. However, some forms of the
disease, especially chronic lymphoid leukemia, occasionally strike close
relatives in the same family. Certain genetic abnormalities (such as Down
syndrome) have been linked to the development of specific forms of leukemia. In
cases of myeloid leukemia, an increased risk of the illness has been linked to
excessive exposure to radiation and to heavy exposure to benzene, a chemical
found in unleaded gasoline.

Symptoms

Early symptoms of leukemia are like symptoms of the flu or other common
diseases. Symptoms include:

   * Fever
   * Fatigue
   * Aches in bones or joints
   * Headaches
   * Skin rashes
   * Swollen glands (lymph nodes)
   * Frequent infections
   * Unexplained weight loss
   * Bleeding or swelling of gums
   * An enlarged spleen or liver, or a feeling of abdominal fullness
   * Slow healing cuts, nosebleeds or frequent bruises

Diagnosis

Your doctor may not suspect leukemia based on your symptoms alone. However,
during your physical examination, your doctor may discover that you have swollen
lymph nodes or an enlarged liver or spleen. The diagnosis may become clearer
when routine blood tests (especially blood cell counts) show abnormal results.
Diagnostic procedures will follow, including a bone marrow biopsy (a sample of
bone marrow is removed and examined), more blood tests to detect the presence of
abnormal cells and, sometimes, tests for genetic abnormalities, such as the
Philadelphia chromosome.

Expected Duration

In general, chronic leukemia progresses more slowly than acute leukemia. Without
Gleevec, a relatively new drug, or a bone marrow transplant, people with chronic
myeloid leukemia typically have several years of stability before developing a
picture more like acute myeloid leukemia. Whether the transformation from a
chronic leukemia to an acute leukemia can be delayed or prevented by Gleevec
remains to be seen.

Prevention

There is no way to prevent most forms of leukemia. In the future, genetic
testing may play a larger role in identifying people who are more likely to
develop the illness. Until then, close relatives of people with leukemia should
follow a normal schedule of routine physical exams, unless suspicious symptoms
develop.

Treatment

Acute leukemia
Unlike other cancers, the treatment of acute leukemia does not depend on how far
the disease has advanced, but on the person's condition and on whether the
person is newly diagnosed, continuing treatment, in remission (the disease is
controlled) or the disease has come back after a remission.

With acute lymphoid leukemia, treatment generally occurs in phases, although not
all phases are used for all people with the disease:

   * Phase 1 (called induction therapy) uses chemotherapy in the hospital to
try to control the disease.
   * Phase 2 (called consolidation) continues chemotherapy, but on an
outpatient basis (returning to the hospital for treatment, but not staying
overnight) to keep the person in remission.
   * Phase 3 (called prophylaxis) uses different chemotherapy drugs, sometimes
combined with radiation therapy, to prevent the leukemia from entering the brain
and central nervous system.
   * Phase 4 (called maintenance) involves regular physical exams and
laboratory tests after the leukemia has been treated to be sure that it has not
returned.
   * Recurrent leukemia uses further doses of various chemotherapy drugs in
different dosages to combat a disease that has returned. People may need several
years of chemotherapy to keep the leukemia in remission. Some people may receive
a bone marrow transplant.

With acute myeloid leukemia, treatment generally depends on the type of the
disease, as well as the person's age and overall health. Usually people receive
induction therapy in an effort to send the leukemia into remission.
Consolidation and maintenance therapies may be used, but they are less effective
for acute myeloid leukemia than for acute lymphoid leukemia. For all types of
acute leukemia, a bone marrow transplant is an option when chemotherapy alone
has been less successful.

Chronic leukemia
For chronic lymphoid leukemia, the next step after diagnosis is to determine the
extent of the cancer. This is called staging. There are four stages of chronic
lymphoid leukemia:

   * Stage 0 — There are too many lymphocytes in the blood. Generally, there
are no other symptoms of leukemia.
   * Stage I — Lymph nodes are swollen because of too many lymphocytes in the
blood.
   * Stage II — Lymph nodes, spleen and liver are swollen as a result of an
overabundance of lymphocytes.
   * Stage III — Anemia has developed because there are too few red blood cells
in the blood.
different types of leukemia:

   * Acute lymphoid leukemia — In general, children with this cancer have a
90-percent chance of complete remission, with an 80-percent, five year survival
rate. The adult prognosis is not as good, with only 25 percent to 35 percent of
adults surviving for five years.

   * Acute myeloid leukemia — With proper treatment, 70 percent to 75 percent
of people with this cancer can expect to go into remission. About 80 percent who
go into remission will do so within one month of induction therapy. In some
people, however, the disease will return, lowering the cure rate to no more than
40 percent.

   * Chronic lymphoid leukemia — On average, people with this cancer survive
nine years, although some have survived as long as 35 years. In Stage I or II,
remission occurs in about 70 percent of people treated with chemotherapy,
although the cancer always comes back eventually.

   * Chronic myeloid leukemia — How long people with chronic myeloid leukemia
survive depends on the age of the person, the extent of the disease and the
treatments used. For example, 60 percent of people under age 40 with mild
symptoms survive three years after treatment if they have a bone marrow
transplant. Only 15 percent to 25 percent of those without a transplant live
longer than five years. A few people have lived as long as 20 years. It's
possible that the drug Gleevec will improve survival rates, but that won't be
known for a few years.

Hi  J
 Thank you so much for all your help. My father is a rock hard Italian
man who is hard to deal with and a Dr who don't make to much sense. Be
We'll try to get thru it. I'll keep posting. Thank you again
Z