Leukemia
Germana: Leukämie; Romana: leucemie
Leukemia is a malignant disease leading to increased production of certain types of white blood cells (named leukocytes) in the bone marrow and other blood-forming organs. Owing to the overproduction of white immature and abnormal cells the production of normal white cells, red cells (named erythrocytes) and platelets (named thrombocytes) is suppressed, causing anemia, bleeding and swelling of the spleen, lymph nodes and liver.
Depending on the progression of the disease there are acute or chronic types of leukemia and according to the type of white cell which grows abnormally in can be divided into acute myeloblastic leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and others.
This disease is treated with cytotoxic drugs and radiotherapy, which destroy cancer cells by suppressing cell division.
