Leukemia is a cancer of the blood-producing bone marrow tissue that results in the body making too many abnormal white blood cells that don’t work as they should. This interferes with the body’s ability to fight infection. You may experience various symptoms, including fatigue, weakness, frequent infections, swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, bone pain, and easy bruising or bleeding.?Treatments for leukemia vary depending on the type and stage you have, but they may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, stem cell transplants, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. Self-care, talking about how you feel with a trusted listener, and relying on your social support group can help you cope with leukemia.
What Is Leukemia? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, and TreatmentMedically Reviewed by Conor Steuer, MD | September 6, 2023
Common Questions & Answers
What are the early signs of leukemia?
Early signs can be vague or even nonexistent, and they vary depending on which type you have. However, leukemia symptoms may include fatigue, frequent infections, easy bruising, swollen lymph nodes, or unexplained weight loss.
How is leukemia diagnosed?
Healthcare professionals typically diagnose leukemia through physical examination of the gums and lymph nodes, blood tests, blood cell examinations, and bone marrow biopsies. They may request imaging scans if they suspect that leukemia has reached the bones or organs.
Most leukemia is not hereditary. However, people can pass on some genes with links to certain types of leukemia and linked conditions, such as acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).
What is the survival rate for leukemia?
Survival rates vary significantly depending on the type of leukemia, age, overall health, and other factors.
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Walter Tsang, MD, is a board-certified medical oncologist, hematologist, and lifestyle medicine specialist. Inspired by the ancient Eastern philosophy of yang sheng ("nourishing life"), Dr. Tsang has developed a unique whole-person oncology approach that tailors cancer care and lifestyle recommendations to each patients’ biopsychosocial-spiritual circumstances. He partners with patients on their cancer journeys, emphasizing empowerment, prevention, holistic wellness, quality of life, supportive care, and realistic goals and expectations. This practice model improves clinical outcomes and reduces costs for both patients and the healthcare system.?
Outside of his busy clinical practice, Tsang has taught various courses at UCLA Center for East West Medicine, Loma Linda University, and California University of Science and Medicine. He is passionate about health education and started an online seminar program to teach cancer survivors about nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep health, and complementary healing methods. Over the years, he has given many presentations on integrative oncology and lifestyle medicine at community events. In addition, he was the founding co-chair of a lifestyle medicine cancer interest group, which promoted integrative medicine education and collaborations among oncology professionals.
Tsang is an active member of American Society of Clinical Oncology, Society for Integrative Oncology, and American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He currently practices at several locations in Southern California. His goal is to transform cancer care in the community, making it more integrative, person-centered, cost-effective and sustainable for the future.
Walter Tsang, MD, is a board-certified medical oncologist, hematologist, and lifestyle medicine specialist. Inspired by the ancient Eastern philosophy of yang sheng ("nourishing life"), Dr. Tsang has developed a unique whole-person oncology approach that tailors cancer care and lifestyle recommendations to each patients’ biopsychosocial-spiritual circumstances. He partners with patients on their cancer journeys, emphasizing empowerment, prevention, holistic wellness, quality of life, supportive care, and realistic goals and expectations. This practice model improves clinical outcomes and reduces costs for both patients and the healthcare system.?
Outside of his busy clinical practice, Tsang has taught various courses at UCLA Center for East West Medicine, Loma Linda University, and California University of Science and Medicine. He is passionate about health education and started an online seminar program to teach cancer survivors about nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep health, and complementary healing methods. Over the years, he has given many presentations on integrative oncology and lifestyle medicine at community events. In addition, he was the founding co-chair of a lifestyle medicine cancer interest group, which promoted integrative medicine education and collaborations among oncology professionals.
Tsang is an active member of American Society of Clinical Oncology, Society for Integrative Oncology, and American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He currently practices at several locations in Southern California. His goal is to transform cancer care in the community, making it more integrative, person-centered, cost-effective and sustainable for the future.
Thomas Marron, MD, PhD, is the assistant director of early phase and immunotherapy clinical trials at the Tisch Cancer Institute of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai?in New York City, as well as an assistant professor of medicine in the Icahn School of Medicine. He is a physician scientist working to translate findings from the lab into patient care and treatment. His clinical focus is on early phase clinical trials of cancer vaccines and new immunotherapy combination treatments.
Dr. Marron received his bachelor's degree in human biology from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in 2005, his PhD in immunology from the Icahn School of Medicine in 2010, and his MD from the Icahn School of Medicine in 2012. He remained at Mount Sinai Hospital for his internal medicine residency, which he completed in 2014, and for his clinical fellowships in hematology and medical oncology, which he completed in 2017.
Conor E. Steuer, MD, is?medical oncologist specializing in the care of aerodigestive cancers, mesothelioma, and thymic malignancies and an assistant professor in the department of hematology and medical oncology at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. He joined the clinical staff at Emory's Winship Cancer Institute?as a practicing physician in July 2015. He currently serves as chair of the Lung and Aerodigestive Malignancies Working Group and is a member of the Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics Research Program at Winship.
Dr. Steuer received his medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine in 2009. He completed his postdoctoral training as a fellow in the department of hematology and medical oncology at the Emory University School of Medicine, where he was chief fellow in his final year.
He has been active in research including in clinical trial development, database analyses, and investigation of molecular biomarkers. He is interested in investigating the molecular biology and genomics of thoracic and head and neck tumors in order to be able to further the care of these patient populations. Additionally, he has taken an interest in utilizing national databases to perform clinical outcomes research, as well as further investigate rare forms of thoracic cancers.
Steuer's work has been published in many leading journals, such as Cancer, the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, and Lung Cancer, and has been presented at multiple international conferences.
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Resources
Leukemia: Symptoms and Causes. Mayo Clinic.
Leukemia: Diagnosis and Treatment. Mayo Clinic. December 20, 2024.
What Is Childhood Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and PreventionMedically Reviewed by Walter Tsang, MD | December 8, 2023
What Is Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and PreventionMedically Reviewed by Walter Tsang, MD | December 7, 2023
