Table of Contents What Is Leukemia? Normal/Leukemia Cells Types of Leukemia Leukemia Symptoms Diagnosis of Leukemia Leukemia Treatment Getting a Second Opinion Methods of Leukemia Treatment Leukemia Clinical Trials Supportive Care Side Effects of Leukemia Treatment Leukemia Treatment with Chemotherapy Leukemia Treatment with Radiation Therapy Leukemia Treatment with Bone Marrow Transplants Nutrition for Leukemia Cancer Patients Followup Care Support for Leukemia Patients What the Future Holds Possible Causes of Leukemia Keeping on Top of Your Condition

Normal & Leukemia Blood Cells

The blood is made up of fluid called plasma and three types of cells. Each type has special functions.

• White blood cells (also called WBCs or leukocytes) help the body fight infections and other diseases.

• Red blood cells (also called RBCs or erythrocytes) carry oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues and take carbon dioxide from the tissues back to the lungs. The red blood cells give blood its color.

• Platelets (also called thrombocytes) help form blood clots that control bleeding.

Blood cells are formed in the bone marrow, the soft, spongy center of bones. New(immature) blood cells are called blasts. Some blasts stay in the marrow to mature. Some travel to other parts of the body to mature.

Normally, blood cells are produced in an orderly, controlled way, as the body needs them. This process helps keep us healthy.

Leukemia Cells

When leukemia develops, the body produces large numbers of abnormal blood cells. In most types of leukemia, the abnormal cells are white blood cells. The leukemia cells usually look different from normal blood cells, and they do not function properly.