Types of Leukemia
There are several different types of leukemia. The types of leukemia are first divided according to the type of stem cell they developed from:
There are four main types of leukemia:
- Myelogenous leukemias develop from abnormal myeloid cells.
- Lymphocytic leukemias (also known as lymphoblastic leukemias) develop from abnormal lymphoid cells.
- Acute leukemias start suddenly, developing within days or weeks. The number of leukemia cells in the blood can rise very fast and the blood cannot do its job. Acute leukemias get worse quickly and need to be treated right away.
- Chronic leukemias develop slowly over months or years, and may not cause any symptoms early in the disease. Symptoms start to appear as the number of leukemia cells in the blood or bone marrow increases.
There are four main types of leukemia:
- acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
- acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
- chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
- chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)