Leukemia might either have a sudden onset (acute) or might depict a slow onset (chronic). In the case of acute leukemia, the cancer cells multiply at a really fast rate. On the other hand, in the case of chronic leukemia, the progression of the disease is rather slow, and the symptoms are mostly mild. Here, we’ll take a look at some of the most common and rare types of leukemia.

Types of leukemia
Primarily, leukemia is classified following the type of cell involved. For instance, if leukemia involves the myeloid cells, then it is known as myelogenous leukemia. These are the immature blood cells, which normally become monocytes or granulocytes. The Leukemia that involves lymphocytes is known as lymphocytic leukemia. Now, let us take a look at a few common and rare types of leukemia.

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML): It is the most common type of leukemia in both adults and children. This is a fast-growing cancer of the bone marrow and the blood. Following a popular study, there are approximately 21,000 cases of AML diagnosed every year in the country. AML’s 5-year rate of survival is only 26.9%.

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL): It is another common cancer type that is mainly seen in children. Approximately, there are 6000 cases of ALL diagnosed in the country every year. ALL’s 5-year rate of survival is 68.2%. The problem with ALL is that it rapidly progresses, and replaces all the healthy cells in the body with the unhealthy leukemia cells that are unable to mature properly. Thereafter, these unhealthy cells enter the bloodstreams and then are transported to the other tissues and organs. As a result of this, they divide and grow in number.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML): This type of cancer is most common in adults. There are 9000 cases of CML in the country every year. CML’s 5-year rate of survival is 66.9%. The type of cancer initiates in the bone marrow’s blood-forming cells. With the progression of the disease, cancer spreads to the body via the blood and affects even the distant areas of the body.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): This type of leukemia is most common in the people who are aged 55 or older. CLL is only a rare occurrence in children. However, there are over 20000 cases of CLL every year in the US. CLL’s 5-year rate of survival is 83.2%.

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL): It is a rare type of leukemia that has a slow progression rate. This type of cancer occurs when the bone marrow produces a bountiful of B cells, which a type of white blood cell known to combat infection. Since the unhealthy cells are more, the degree of RBCs and the WBCs in the blood is less.

Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS): This is a group of cancers wherein the production of healthy blood cells is affected. The bone marrow produces only little healthy cells. In 33% of cases, MDS progresses to AML.