Leukemia Quiz
Learn more about leukemia by taking this quiz.
1. A person with leukemia has cancer in the blood and bone marrow
that produces abnormal white blood cells-. Over time, the abnormal cells crowd out
normal white and red blood cells, and platelets.
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Leukemia cells often
don't fight infections like normal white blood cells do. They eventually become so
numerous that they interfere with the bone marrow's function. The bone marrow makes
blood cells.
2. Leukemia is divided into two distinct types: acute, which progresses quickly, and
chronic, which progresses more slowly.
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The disease is further divided by the types of blood cells it affects. Myeloid leukemia
affects the myeloid cells; lymphocytic leukemia affects the lymphoid cells. The names
of the 4 common types of leukemia are acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphocytic
leukemia (ALL), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
3. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is somewhat more likely to develop in men than in
women.
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AML is slightly more
common among men than women. Experts don't know why. AML is one of the most common
types
of leukemia in adults. It's less common in children.
4. Exposure to high levels of benzene in the workplace can cause leukemia.
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In most cases, the cause of leukemia is not known, but certain environmental and genetic
factors appear to increase the risk for the disease. These include not only exposure
to benzene, but also exposure to high levels of radiation, either through wartime
or disaster, or through medical radiation treatment; chemotherapy; smoking; and Down
syndrome and other genetic diseases caused by abnormal chromosomes.
5. One possible symptom of acute leukemia is bruising or bleeding easily.
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This symptom is caused by a low level of platelets, which normally help the blood
to
clot. But it may also be caused by other disorders. Other possible symptoms of
leukemia include:
- Fever or night sweats
- Frequent infections
- Lingering fatigue
- Headaches
- Pain in the bones or joints
- Swelling or discomfort in the abdomen, from an enlarged liver or spleen
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Pale skin
- Weight loss
6. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is more likely to occur in teens.
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It is more likely to
occur in young children. The cause of ALL isn't known, but it occurs more often in
white
people. It also occurs more often in developed countries and in families with higher
socioeconomic standing. Besides affecting young children, it also affects older adults.
7. One aspect that makes chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) different from other forms
of leukemia is a specific chromosomal defect that occurs in virtually all cases.
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This defect, called the Philadelphia chromosome, occurs only in leukemia cells, not
the rest of the cells in the body. In CML, parts of chromosomes 9 and 22 switch places,
an exchange called a translocation. Researchers do not know why this occurs. Other
chromosome changes are seen in some other types of leukemia, but these changes are
not seen in all cases.
8. A person with acute leukemia is usually considered cured if no evidence of the
disease exists one month after treatment.
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Many doctors don't consider acute leukemia to be cured until a person has no signs
of disease for at least several years after treatment--and not all doctors agree with
even that definition. The goal of treatment for acute leukemia is complete remission:
no trace of the disease. Treatment for both chronic and acute leukemia may involve
chemotherapy, targeted therapy, biological therapy, radiation therapy or a stem cell
transplant. People with an enlarged spleen may need to have their spleen removed.
People with a chronic form of leukemia may not need treatment right away. When treatment
is needed, it usually can control the disease and symptoms. Chronic leukemia usually
can't be cured, but it can often be controlled for long periods of time.
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