Disease Information
Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are cancers that originate in the bone marrow (in the case of leukemia and myeloma) or in lymphatic tissues (in the case of lymphoma). They are considered to be related cancers because they involve the uncontrolled growth of cells with similar functions and origins. The diseases result from an acquired (not inherited) genetic injury to the DNA of a single cell, which becomes abnormal (malignant) and multiplies continuously. The accumulation of malignant cells interferes with the body's production of healthy blood cells and can result in severe anemia, decreased ability to combat infections and a predisposition to bleeding.
Leukemia
The major forms of leukemia are divided into four categories. Myelogenous and lymphocytic leukemia each have acute and chronic forms. The terms myelogenous or lymphocytic denote the cell type involved.
Acute leukemia is a rapidly progressing disease that affects mostly cells that are unformed or primitive (not yet fully developed or differentiated). These immature cells cannot carry out their normal functions.
Chronic leukemia progresses slowly and permits the growth of greater numbers of more developed cells. In general, these more mature cells can carry out some of their normal functions.
Thus, the four major types of leukemia are: acute or chronic myelogenous, and acute or chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Major Types of Leukemia
- Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
- Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
The ability to measure specific features of cells has led to further subclassification of the major categories of leukemia. The categories and subsets allow the physician to decide what treatment works best for the cell type and how quickly the disease may develop.
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a general term for a group of cancers that originate in the lymphatic system. The lymphomas are divided into two major categories: Hodgkin's lymphoma and all other lymphomas, called non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Hodgkin lymphoma was named for Thomas Hodgkin, an English physician who described several cases of the disease in 1832. Hodgkin lymphoma represents about 12.5 percent of all lymphomas.
Lymphomas are cancers that begin by the malignant transformation of a lymphocyte in the lymphatic system. The prefix "lymph-" indicates their origin in the malignant change of a lymphocyte and the suffix "-oma" is derived from the Greek word meaning "tumor".
Lymphomas, including Hodgkin's lymphoma, result from an acquired injury to the DNA of a lymphocyte. Scientists know that the damage to the DNA occurs after birth and, therefore, is acquired rather than inherited. The change or mutation of DNA in one lymphocyte produces a malignant transformation. This mutation results in the uncontrolled and excessive growth of the lymphocyte, and confers a survival advantage on the malignant lymphocyte and the cells that are formed from its multiplication. The accumulation of these dividing cells results in the tumor masses in lymph nodes and other sites.
Lymphomas generally start in lymph nodes or collections of lymphatic tissue in organs like the stomach or intestines. Lymphomas may involve the marrow and the blood in some cases. Spread from a lymphoma site is not unexpected. Lymphocytic leukemias originate and are most prominent in the marrow and spill over into the blood. They occasionally spread to involve the lymph nodes.
Myeloma
Each year, nearly 14,600 persons in the United States learn that they have myeloma. Myeloma may be called by several names, including plasma cell dyscrasia, plasma cell myeloma, myelomatosis and multiple myeloma. The disease may be referred to as Kahler's disease, especially in Europe, in recognition of the physician who first published the most comprehensive description of myeloma.
The earliest observations of myeloma in patients were made by physicians in England in the mid-19th century. By the turn of the 20th century, physicians had described the essential features of the disease: its appearance as malignant plasma cells, its involvement in multiple sites in marrow, its destruction of bone and its association with abnormal proteins in the urine and later the blood. In the late 19th century, the term "myeloma" was used to indicate the disease, which is derived from the Greek word "myel-" meaning "marrow" and "-oma" meaning a "tumor".
The major forms of myeloma are divided into categories. Myeloma involving multiple sites is by far the most common way in which the disease appears. Most cases (about 90 percent) have multiple sites involved at the time of diagnosis, and the term "multiple" is often applied. In cases that appear to have a different distribution, various other terms are used to describe the disease. These include: solitary myeloma (one site evident), localized myeloma (a few neighboring sites evident) or extramedullary myeloma (involvement of tissues other than the marrow, such as skin, muscle or lung). These categories allow the physician to decide what treatment works best for the particular type of disease.
For more information
Visit www.leukemia-lymphoma.org and our links page for more detailed information on blood related cancers.
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