Leukemia is a major group of serious diseases of the hematopoietic system that affects not only the entire blood and immune system, but also all systems of the body. Unlike solid tumors, leukemia is not a superfluous organism that grows locally, but a malignant blood disease that spreads throughout the body and may invade various systems, organs and tissues.
Many of you would like to know what types of leukemia there are? What are the differences between the various leukemias?
Leukemias can be divided into two major categories, acute and chronic, depending on the degree of differentiation and maturation of the leukemic cells. In acute leukemia, cell differentiation is stalled at an earlier stage, mostly in primitive cells and early naïve and mature cells, and the disease progresses rapidly with a natural course of only a few months.
In chronic leukemia, cell differentiation is stalled at a later stage, mostly in more mature naive and mature cells, with a slow progression and a natural course of several years.
Acute leukemia can be divided into acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) based on the main cell lineage involved. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia can be divided into L1, L2, and L3 subtypes, while acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia is divided into eight subtypes: M0, M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, and M7.
Chronic leukemia is divided into chronic granulocytic leukemia (CML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and the rare polychromatic leukemia (HCL) and lymphoblastic leukemia (PLL).
Due to the different subtypes of leukemia, the diagnostic criteria vary, as do the treatment options and prognosis. Therefore, further typing and subtype diagnosis should be made based on the morphological, immunological and cytogenetic characteristics of leukemia cells.
Acute leukemia is more common than chronic leukemia in China (about 5.5:1), with acute non-gonorrhea leukemia being the most common (1.62/100,000), followed by acute gonorrhea leukemia (0.69/100,000), slow-onset leukemia (0.36/100,000), and slow-onset leukemia being rare (0.05/100,000). The incidence was slightly higher in males than in females (1.81:1). Among adults, acute leukemia is the most common. In children, acute leukemia is more common. The incidence of chronic leukemia gradually increases with age. The incidence of chronic leukemia increases significantly after the age of 50 years.