Analysis of Leukemia and its Treatments
Leukemia is not a single disease but
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Leukemia is not a single disease but a group of related diseases, and acute leukemia is a particular type that appears suddenly and that can have devastating results, most often leading to death, though continuing research has reduced the mortality rate as new treatments are tested all the time. The outlook is thus good given the number of avenues of research currently being pursued. An analysis of the disease and its current treatments point to areas for further research and development.Leukemia is a rare cancer of the bone marrow that destroys its normal bloodproducing capacity, and it can be designated "acute" with the sudden onset of symptoms or can develop more slowly over several years as "chronic" leukemia. Leukemia remains a serious disease requiring potent drug therapy, but some forms are now curable. Two decades ago, a child diagnosed with acute leukemia could expect to survive just a few months, while today, not only can many children be cured of their disease, but even the once dismal outlook for adults is improving. The change has come about through treatment administered in specialized centers, use of new drug combinations, better support measures (such as blood transfusions), and bone marrow transplants. The cells making up blood are produced in the bone marrow and the lymph system. The bone marrow is the spongy tissue found in the large bones of the body, and the lymph system includes the spleen (an organ in the upper abdo
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mia. In the past 40 years, advances in the treatment of acute leukemia have improved the chance of cure from virtually zero to 2075 percent, depending on age and type of leukemia, based largely on the development and continued improvements in bone marrow transplantation. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is commonest in the age range 210 years, with a peak at 34 years, and the incidence then decreases with increasing age, though there is a secondary rise after 40 years. In children, this is the most common malignant disease and accounts for 85 percent of childhood leukemia. Acute myeloid leukemia accounts for 1015 percent of childhood leukemia but is the commonest leukemia of adulthood. Acute leukemia is always serious and life threatening. Acute leukemia requires prompt treatment with chemotherapy and various support measures such as blood transfusions. Modern cure rates are generally good for children and are improving for adults (Liesner & Goldstone, 1997, 733-734).
CAUSES
The exact cause of leukemia is unknown, although various factors have been implicated, including genetic defects, immune deficiency, viruses, and carcinogenic environmental factors, primarily ionizing radiation. The disease is not inherited, and ther
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Hiroshima Nagasaki, Snyder Stocker, German Weisses, DEFINITION Leukemia, RBCs WBCs, Liesner Goldstone, Burnett Eden, INTRODUCTION Leukemia, CONCLUSION Acute, Encyclopedia Medicine, bone marrow, acute leukemia, blood cells, white blood, white blood cells, complete remission, treatment acute, stem cell, red blood, leukemia acute, medoff 2000, red blood cells, acute myeloid leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, gale encyclopedia medicine,
Approximate Word count = 2805
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)
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