Types of Leukemia
The types of leukemia can be grouped based on how
quickly the disease develops and gets worse. Leukemia
is either chronic (which usually gets worse slowly) or
acute (which usually gets worse quickly):
- Chronic leukemia: Early in the disease, the
leukemia cells can still do some of the work of
normal white blood cells. People may not have any
symptoms at first. Doctors often find chronic
leukemia during a routine checkup - before there are
any symptoms.
Slowly, chronic leukemia gets worse. As the number
of leukemia cells in the blood increases, people get
symptoms, such as swollen lymph nodes or
infections. When symptoms do appear, they are
usually mild at first and get worse gradually.
- Acute leukemia: The leukemia cells can't do any of
the work of normal white blood cells. The number
of leukemia cells increases rapidly. Acute leukemia
usually worsens quickly.
The types of leukemia also can be grouped based on
the type of white blood cell that is affected. Leukemia
can start in lymphoid cells or myeloid cells. See the
picture of these cells. Leukemia that affects
lymphoid cells is called lymphoid, lymphocytic, or
lymphoblastic leukemia. Leukemia that affects myeloid
cells is called myeloid, myelogenous, or myeloblastic
leukemia.
There are four common types of leukemia:
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): CLL affects
lymphoid cells and usually grows slowly. It accounts
for more than 15,000 new cases of leukemia each
year. Most often, people diagnosed with the disease
are over age 55. It almost never affects children.
- Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML): CML affects
myeloid cells and usually grows slowly at first. It
accounts for nearly 5,000 new cases of leukemia
each year. It mainly affects adults.
- Acute lymphocytic (lymphoblastic) leukemia
(ALL): ALL affects lymphoid cells and grows
quickly. It accounts for more than 5,000 new cases
of leukemia each year. ALL is the most common
type of leukemia in young children. It also affects
adults.
- Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): AML affects
myeloid cells and grows quickly. It accounts for
more than 13,000 new cases of leukemia each year.
It occurs in both adults and children.
Hairy cell leukemia is a rare type of chronic
leukemia. This booklet is not about hairy cell leukemia
or other rare types of leukemia. Together, these rare
leukemias account for fewer than 6,000 new cases of
leukemia each year. The Cancer Information Service
(1-800-4-CANCER) can provide information about
rare types of leukemia.
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