A person of any age can be diagnosed with ALL, but most cases occur in children. In children and teens under age 20, ALL is the most common type of leukemia, accounting for 75% of all leukemia diagnosed in this age group. Children younger than 5 have the highest risk of ALL.
Who gets leukemia? Although it is often thought of as a children's disease, most cases of leukemia occur in older adults. More than half of all leukemia cases occur in people over the age of 65.
White patients are significantly more likely to develop CLL than other races, with incidence rates of 5.1 per 100 000 in White, 3.2 in Black, 2.1 in Hispanic, and 1.1 in Asian Americans. This amounts to a low prevalence of CLL in non-White populations, which represent between 11% and 13% of CLL patients.
Risk factors that may cause leukemia
Gender: Men are more likely than women to develop leukemia. Age: The risk of most leukemias increases with age. The median age of a patient diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is 65 years and older.
135000. people are living with blood cancer or a related blood disorder in Australia today.
The cause of acute leukaemia is unknown, but factors that put some people at higher risk are: exposure to intense radiation. exposure to certain chemicals, such as benzene. viruses like the Human T-Cell leukaemia virus.
In the United States, overall, 5-year survival among people diagnosed with leukemia is 65%. However, these statistics vary greatly according to the specific subtype of disease: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) 5-year survival rate is 88%. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) 5-year survival rate is 71.3%.
The average person has a 0.4 percent cumulative lifetime risk of developing CLL. If one first-degree relative—a parent, sibling or child—has been diagnosed with CLL, the risk increases to 2.15 percent. If two or more first-degree relatives have been diagnosed, the risk increases to 8.6 percent.
Leukemia does not tend to run in families and therefore is not usually hereditary. Some people inherit genetic features that increase their risk, but this does not mean they will develop the condition.
Leukemia starts in the soft, inner part of the bones (bone marrow), but often moves quickly into the blood. It can then spread to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, central nervous system and other organs.
There is no known way to prevent leukemia, but avoiding tobacco and exposure to pesticides and industrial chemicals might help.
3) Leukemia is the most common cancer in children and teens younger than 20, accounting for almost one out of three cancers. 4) Acute leukemias are the rapidly progressing diseases, and chronic leukemias usually progress more slowly. 5) Leukemia can happen at any age, but is most common in people over 60.
Acute myeloid leukaemia
Overall 5‐year disease‐specific survival for people with AML diagnosed during 1980–2016 was 18% (95% CI, 17–20%); disease‐specific survival at 20 years was 15% (95% CI, 13–16%).
Mel Mann was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia and given three years to live — more than 27 years ago. He enrolled in one of the first clinical trials for a drug called Gleevec (imatinib).
Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia is more common in children with Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), neurofibromatosis type 1, Bloom syndrome, and ataxia telangiectasia. All are common in children between two and three years of age.
Some signs of leukemia, like night sweats, fever, fatigue and achiness, resemble flu-like symptoms. Unlike symptoms of the flu, which generally subside as patients get better, leukemia symptoms generally last longer than two weeks, and may include sudden weight loss, bone and joint pain and easy bleeding or bruising.
Chronic Leukemia May Go Undetected
It may take months or even several years before the disease begins to cause symptoms that alert the patient that something is wrong.
Most cases occur between ages 2 and 5. However, it can be diagnosed at any age. An estimated 400 people ages 15 to 19 in the United States are diagnosed with the disease each year. ALL is less common in girls than boys.
Exposure to benzene increases the risk of developing leukemia and other blood disorders.
How is leukemia diagnosed? A diagnosis of leukemia is usually made by analyzing a patient's blood sample through a complete blood count (CBC) or microscopic evaluation of the blood, or by using flow cytometry.
Chronic leukemia progresses more slowly and results in the accumulation of relatively mature, but still abnormal, white blood cells. It tends to take longer to start causing noticeable problems than acute leukemia. However, chronic, slower-growing leukemia may be more difficult to treat.
If caught early, leukemia can be cured by undergoing several cancer treatments.