example, are not able to help fight infection. Because the bone marrow shows normal-appearing maturing cells ,
the diagnosis is made on the basis of the clinical picture, blood counts, the predominance of a particular cell
line, genetic characteristics and the presence of certain proteins on the cell surface (cell surface markers).
The disease is controlled easily with medication or may not even need medication in its early stages. Average
survival is measured in years rather than months.
How It Spreads Because it is a cancer of the blood, leukemia is found wherever blood travels. It is most commonly found in the bone marrow, spleen , liver and lymph nodes . In extremely rare cases, leukemia may first appear as a single localized mass of leukemia cells (chloroma) in the breasts, ovaries, testicles or brain. There may also be skin involvement by leukemic cells.
What Causes It There is no known cause. There are, however, known oncogenes in leukemia cells that may be associated with some types of the disease. Some forms of leukemia are associated with exposure to a retroviral infection such as HTLV-1. Certain abnormalities in the chromosomes are also associated with specific types of leukemia.
