Leukemia is a cancer that starts in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow. When one of these cells changes and becomes a leukemia cell, it no longer matures normally. Often, it divides to make new cells faster than normal. Leukemia cells also don’t die when they should. This allows them to build up in the bone marrow, crowding out normal cells. At some point, leukemia cells leave the bone marrow and spill into the bloodstream, often causing the number of white blood cells in the blood to increase. Once in the blood, leukemia cells can spread to other organs, where they can prevent other cells in the body from functioning normally.
Leukemia that is characterized by proliferation of myeloid tissue is known as Myeloid leukemia. Myeloid leukemias start in early myeloid cells – the cells that become white blood cells (other than lymphocytes), red blood cells, or platelet-making cells. There are two subtypes: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal immature white blood cells that accumulate in the bone marrow and interfere with the production of normal blood cells.These immature cells act very rapidly and can cause life-threatening problems if the disease is not treated promptly.
CML or chronic myelogenous leukemia is a disease in which patients have too many mature white blood cells. It is a condition in which the bone marrow makes too many cells.