Leukaemia is cancer of the body’s blood-forming tissues, containing the bone marrow and the lymphatic system (7). There are many types of leukaemia exist. Some forms of leukaemia occur commonly in adults, other forms of leukaemia are more usually in children. Leukaemia usually contains the white blood cells. Your white blood cells are powerful infection fighters. They normally grow and divide in a proper way as your body needs them. However, the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells in people with leukaemia because it does not function properly (7).
There are an estimated 327,520 people living with, or in remission from, leukaemia in the US (6). In 2014, 52,380 people are expected to be…show more content… At first, people, who have had certain types of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for other cancers, have an increased risk of developing certain types of leukaemia (7). Genetic abnormalities seem to play a role in the development of leukaemia, so certain genetic disorders like Down syndrome, are associated with an increased risk of leukaemia also. Moreover, exposure to certain chemicals, such as benzene is also linked to an increased risk of some kinds of leukaemia. In addition, if any of your family members have been diagnosed with leukaemia, it is also the risk for the disease may be increased. However, most people with known risk factors do not get leukaemia, and many people with leukaemia have none of these risk factors. There is no proven way to prevent most types of leukaemia (10). Even more sadly, most of the risk factors cannot be avoided like in other types of cancer, because we simply cannot avoid aging or having conditions like Down’s syndrome (3). However, as you can see, some types of leukaemia may be prevented by avoiding high doses of radiation, exposure to the chemical benzene, smoking and other tobacco use, or certain types of chemotherapy used to treat other types of cancer
