Leukemia is the other name for what is commonly known as blood cancer. Leukemia specifically affects the tissues that form blood, that is, both the lymphatic system as well as the bone marrow. Leukemia is most common among children, when the white blood abruptly grows and start spreading. As a result, it affects the bone marrow and thereby affects the entire immune system.

Leukemia can be classified in a number of ways depending on the type of cells involved as well as how fast leukemia spreads. The prime types of leukemia are as follows:

1. ALL: Acute Lymphocytic Leukaemia is the common type of leukemia, which is prevalent in children. However, it can occur in the case of adults too.
2. AML: Acute Myeloid Leukaemia is another most common type, which is commonly found to occur in children and adults.

Both these acute leukemia involve the unusual growth and spreading of the cancerous blood cells. This hampers the normal functions, and thus leukemia spreads rapidly.

1. CLL: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia is the common chronic leukemia. However, the worst part of this cancer is that it does not have any prominent symptoms. Due to this, you can live fine for many years until you reach the last stage.
2. CML: Chronic Myelogenous Leukaemia is another form of chronic leukemia. It is common in adults. Similar to the above, it also shows no symptoms. As a result, you are likely to be devoid of any treatment until you reach the latter stages of cancer.

Causes of leukemia

While the causes of any type of cancer are still unknown, risk factors that prompt cancer development are what doctors rely on to determine cancer cause and risk. For instance, the following genetic and environmental factors may be responsible for causing blood cancer development:

• Previous cancer treatment, such as radiation, puts individuals at a higher risk of developing other cancers in the future.
• Genetic disorders, such as patients with down syndrome, are prone to leukemia.
• Excessive chemical exposure (i.e., benzene) is directly linked to leukemia.
• Smoking cigarettes increases the risks of developing blood cancer, namely AML or acute myeloid.
• Heredity, or a family history of cancer, is a known risk of developing cancer.