Abstract
Leukaemia is a cancer of the blood. Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by unregulated cell growth. There are over 200 different types of cancer, each classified by the type of cell that is affected. Blood is composed of red cells, white cells, platelets and plasma. These components are marked in figure 1. White blood cells play a vital role in fighting infection. In leukaemia, there is an unregulated increase in abnormal white blood cells. This explains where the term ‘leukaemia’ originated as it comes from the Greek words “leukos” and “heima,” also meaning “white blood”. These abnormal white blood cells, or leukaemic cells, grow rapidly and crowd out the normal cells that the body requires to function properly. In addition, leukaemic cells can move from the blood to other parts of the body. This movement, known as metastasis, allows the cancer to spread. Although leukaemia develops far less ...
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