Leukemia refers to cancers that begin in the blood-forming cells of the body. These abnormal cells grow and multiply in an uncontrolled way. As the disease progresses, leukemic cells move through the blood stream and invade other organs, such as the spleen, lymph nodes, liver, and central nervous system. In the US, more than 30,000 new cases of leukemia are diagnosed every year, and adult onset accounts for 90 percent of the new cases (Xie Y et al 2003).

Risk factors for leukemia include advanced age, poor nutrition, previous chemotherapy and radiation treatment for other cancers, and smoking. Medical treatment for leukemia primarily revolves around chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Nutritional supplements offer help support the healthy function of the immune system, and in particular, the white blood cells in leukemia patients. In addition, some nutritional supplements are able to kill leukemia cells. Key examples include vitamin A, genistein from soy extract, and curcumin from turmeric.

Types of leukemia

Leukemia can be classified into four major types based on whether the disease is acute or chronic and according to the type of white blood cell affected:

• Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
• Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
• Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)

Myelogenous leukemia involves myeloid cells, granulocytes (neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils) and monocytes (macrophages). Lymphocytic leukemia involves T and B cells (lymphocytes).

Leukemia cases in USA

In the US, leukemia occurs more frequently in males than females (Call TG et al 1994; Cartwright RA et al 2002; McNeil DE et al 2002b). In addition, Caucasians are more likely to develop leukemia than African-Americans and Hispanics (McNeil DE et al 2002a; Xie Y et al 2003)

With the exception of ALL, leukemia is generally associated with aging. Furthermore, the behavior of leukemia in older individuals differs from that seen in younger people. For example, AML occurring in older individuals is more resistant to chemotherapy than AML in younger patients (Schoch C et al 2001).