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Leukemia - What Happens

Stem cells are made in the bone marrow. Stem cells become:

White blood cells that help your body fight infection.
Red blood cells that make sure all your body parts have the oxygen they need.
Platelets that keep you from bleeding too much.

In most cases of leukemia, there are too many abnormal white blood cells. These leukemia cells crowd out the normal blood cells in your bone marrow and build up in your lymph nodes, liver, and spleen. This makes it hard for your body to fight infections.

Recommended Related to Leukemia

Stage 0 Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Note: Some citations in the text of this section are followed by a level of evidence. The PDQ editorial boards use a formal ranking system to help the reader judge the strength of evidence linked to the reported results of a therapeutic strategy. (Refer to the PDQ summary on Levels of Evidence for more information.) Because of the indolent nature of stage 0 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), treatment is not indicated.[1] The French Cooperative Group on CLL randomly assigned 1,535 patients with...

Read the Stage 0 Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia article > >

When the leukemia cells crowd out your normal cells, your blood cannot do its job. You may bleed or bruise easily, have more infections, and feel very tired.

Survival rates are different for each kind of leukemia. A 5-year survival rate is the percentage of people who are still alive 5 years or more after being diagnosed. These numbers do not necessarily show what will happen in your case. The following are estimated 5-year survival rates:¹

For acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 66% in adults and 89% in children
For acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), 23%
For chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), 79%
For chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), 53%

These numbers come from reports that were done at least 5 years ago, before newer treatments were available. So chances of survival today are likely to be higher than these numbers.

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: December 17, 2010

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.