Leukemia Research Paper

Leukemia is cancer of the blood. It starts in the bone marrow where blood cells are made. Bone marrow is found in the soft, spongy center of the long bones of the arms and legs. In childhood leukemia, some blood cells don't grow correctly. Instead, there are too many underdeveloped cells in the blood and bone marrow. These cells crowd out normal, healthy blood cells that the body needs. Leukemia affects more children than any other type of cancer. If your child has leukemia, you are not alone. Many other families have also faced childhood leukemia. Doctors who treat people with cancer use five-year survival rates as a way to measure treatment success. To find out if your child has leukemia, your child's doctor will start with a full exam and ask about your child's health background. Both acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) are almost the same because in both types of the leukemia. The cancer cells crowd out healthy blood cells. The same symptoms can also be caused by other problems that are not leukemia. So it's important for a child with symptoms like these to see a doctor to find out the cause. Leukemia is caused by the damage to the genes that control the blood cell growth, and development. Doctors know that leukemia is not caused by a fall or early illness. It can’t be passed on from a parent who had leukemia during pregnancy. Leukemia is not contagious. Researchers have found out that certain things may lead to an increased chance that someone will develop the disease.

Within the last few decades people have known more about the affect leukemia has on health and that the chemicals polluting the air, water, and ground will cause cancer. Most of the chemicals known to cause leukemia are not encountered in everyday life, and special safety precautions are taken when they are handled. Exposure to ionizing radiation from radioactive material also increases the chances of getting leukemia. One in six survivors of the Hiroshima...