Leukemia

Asia, Keyarha, and Santana

What is Leukemia?

• Leukemia is when there is an abnormally large number of white blood cells in the bone marrow. The white blood cells crowd the bone marrow and flood the blood stream. Then the white blood cells can’t perform the proper role of protecting the body against disease.

Why does cancer spread so quickly?

• Cancer spreads extremely fast. It does this because one cell will become cancerous and then start multiplying. This one cell will never stop multiplying. The one cancerous cell will have eventually multiplied enough to form a tumor.

tumor

Cancerous cell Cancerous cell Cancerous cell

What does it mean that a cell is cancerous?

• A cell is cancerous when it continually multiples. One cell will start multiplying and then never stop. This cell will continually be making an endless number of clones. This is what makes a cell cancerous.

It all starts with one cancerous cell

Copy of cancerous cell Copy of cancerous cell Copy of cancerous cell

Symptoms

• can become bruised easily or bleed easily• tonsils can become infected• mouth area can hurt• fevers and infections increase• can become anemic• can appear pale and short of breath• swollen lymph nodes • decrease in appetite • pain in bones and joints

Treatments

• Radiation: the use of high-energy rays to make tumors smaller and to stop cells from growing.

• Chemotherapy: the use of cancer-killing drugs put into the fluid around the brain and spinal cord.

• Bone marrow transplant: healthy bone marrow is introduced into the body.

• With proper treatment, children that are diagnosed with this cancer have a perfect chance to live a normal life.

Important facts

• Leukemia is one of the most common childhood cancers. • There is a large increase in abnormal white

blood cells, which are called leukemia blasts, that enter the blood stream.

• Leukemic blasts interfere with the production of red blood cells and platelets.

• In the year 2000, there were over 2000 kids who were diagnosed with leukemia.

References

• http://www.cancercompass.com/leukimia-information.htm

• http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=4140

• http://kidshealth.org/pagemanger.jsp?lic=387&dn=AlexesLemonade&article_set=2045...