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'''Leukemia''' is [[cancer]] of the developing [[blood cell]]s in the [[bone marrow]]. Leukemia leads to rampant overproduction of white blood cells (leukocytes); symptoms usually include [[anemia]], [[fever]], enlarged [[liver]], [[spleen]], and/or [[lymph]] nodes.
'''Leukemia''' is [[cancer]] of the developing [[blood cell]]s in the [[bone marrow]]. Leukemia leads to rampant overproduction of [[white blood cell]]s (leukocytes); symptoms usually include [[anemia]], [[fever]], enlarged [[liver]], [[spleen]], and/or [[lymph]] nodes.
== Sources ==
There are different types of leukemia, differentiated by the type of white blood cell involved, and they have different rates of progression. Faster-progressing leukemias tend to be more common among children, while the slower types tend to be seen more often in the elderly.
Leukemia is 100% fatal if not treated, death usually being caused by internal hemorrhage and/or serious infections. It can be treated by radiation or certain drugs, and [[bone marrow]] transplants are used when compatible donors are available.
==Sources==
* http://www.genome.gov/glossary.cfm?key=leukemia
* http://www.genome.gov/glossary.cfm?key=leukemia
* ''Human Anatomy and Physiology'', by Elaine Maries, Benjamin/Cummings Publishing, 1995
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:Medicine]]