Leukemia

What is Leukemia?

Leukemia is cancer of bone marrow. In leukemia, the bone marrow makes an too much diseased white cells that cannot perform their usual function of fighting infection. As more of these "bad" white blood cells are created and fills the bone marrow, less healthy cells are produced. This can result in pale skin and getting tired easy as there is less oxygen carrying red blood cells. It can also lead to easy bleeding or bruising since the platelet production is also affected.

Chemotherapy is effective against some types of leukemia in children. Many times, a transfusion or bone marrow transplant is also effective.

Additional Resources

• Team in Training    - Get free coaching, travel and hotel for your first marathon or 100-mile bike ride while raising money for the Leukemia Society of America.
• ACOR: The Assoc. of Cancer Online Resources - Links to cancer info. Especially good links to numerous mailing lists for many types of cancers, end-of-life issues.
• American Red Cross - Leukemia patients need lots of blood. The American Red Cross also will share your HLA information with the National Marrow Donor Program if you want to be a donor.
• Cancer Rates and Risks - "Provides international cancer incidence and mortality rates in a series of charts and graphs. Also included is information on cancer risk factors and risks for major cancers." Very interesting articles on risk factors. From National Cancer Institute.
• CancerNews™ : Leukemia, Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma
• Childhood Leukemia: A Guide for Families, Friends, and Caregivers - Book for sale.
• Childhood Leukemia Center - This Center has been created especially for parents and others caring for a child with leukemia or other cancer.
• Cure 2000 - Dedicated to finding a cure for leukemia by the year 2000. Please help. As their site says, "One person can make a difference." 80 percent of funds raised go directly to research grants.
• GrannyBarb and Art's Leukemia links and survivors stories - Links to leukemia research sites, BMT information, cancer centers, survivor's stories.
• The HLA Registry Foundation - The largest registry in the National Marrow Donor Program.
• The International Myeloma Foundation - Information and services for everyone battling multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow for which there is currently no known cure. Research grant program.
• IVS Technologies, L.L.C. Homepage - RUO kits for molecular diagnosis of leukemias, lymphomas and other neoplasms. TSO service for identification of leukemias and lymphomas. Proprietary technologies for in vivo cDNA synthesis.
• Leukaemia Care (UK) - Established in 1967 to provide "support and friendship and to help families of newly diagnosed patients ... Then, as now, the Society offered reassurance to these families that they were not alone."
• Leukemia - Click here to obtain information on many aspects of leukemia.
• The Leukemia Cancerlinks Search - CancerLinks for leukemia helps in searching for information about leukemia with listings of informative urls.
• The Leukemia Research Foundation - A clearinghouse for leukemia info, including research grants, marrow drives and other events.
• Leukemia Society of America - "dedicated to curing leukemia, lymphoma, hodgkin's disease and myeloma." Home of the national organization, with info on the many types of leukemia and links, including Team in Training.
• The Myeloproliferative Disorders - Information on Polycythemia Vera (PV), Essential Thrombocythemia (ET), Agnogenic Myeloid Metaplasia (AMM), Myelofibrosis (MF), Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia (CML).
• National Cancer Institute - The largest of the Nat'l Institute of Health's 17 research centers. Research updates, links and info for patients.
• National Marrow Donor Program - All you ever wanted to know about joining or using this potentially life-saving program, including info on how to pay for this expensive procedure.

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