Leukemia is cancer that starts in blood-forming tissues. To understand cancer, it helps to know how to form blood cells are normal.
Normal Blood Cells
Most blood cells develop from cells in the bone marrow called stem cells. bone marrow is a soft material in the middle of most bones.
Adult stem cells into various types of blood cells. Each type of special job:
White Blood Cells
White blood cells help fight infection. There are several types of white blood cells.
Red Blood Cells
Red blood cells carry oxygen to tissues throughout the body.
Platelets
Platelets help form blood clots that control bleeding.
White blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets are made from stem cells that the body needs them. When cells grow old or damaged cells, they die, and just take their place.
The figure below shows how stem cells can grow into different types of white blood cells. First, stem cell stem cells mature into either myeloid or lymphoid stem cells:
* A myeloid stem cells mature into myeloid blast. The blast could form red blood cells, platelets, or one of several types of white blood cells.
* A lymphoid stem cells mature into lymphoid blast. The blast could form one of several types of white blood cells, such as B cells or T cells
White blood cells are formed from different myeloid blast of white blood cells are formed from lymphoid blast.
Cell leukemia
In people with leukemia, bone marrow makes abnormal white blood cells. The abnormal cells are leukemia cells.
Unlike normal blood cells, leukemia cells do not die when they should. They may be people out normal white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. This makes it difficult for normal blood cells to do their job.
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