Word parts
What it means
In leukemia, the bone marrowbone MAIR-ohThe soft, spongy tissue inside bones that makes blood cells.Full entry makes large numbers of abnormal white blood cells that crowd out normal cells. Leukemias are named by how fast they grow (acute or chronic) and which cell is involved (lymphocytic or myeloid): ALL is the most common childhood cancer, while AML, CLL and CML are more common in adults. Treatment includes chemotherapy, targeted drugs and stem cell transplant.
For the nurse
Clients often have too few normal white cells, red cells and platelets, so protect them from infection and bleeding, and watch for fatigue. Report fever at once.
At a glance
| Spanish | leucemia |
|---|---|
| Also written | leukemias, leukaemia, leukemic |
Related terms
antineoplastic
A drug used to treat cancer by killing cancer cells or stopping them from growing and dividing.
bone marrow
The soft, spongy tissue inside bones that makes blood cells.
white blood cell
A blood cell that is part of the immune system and helps the body fight infection and other foreign material.
neutropenia
A lower than normal number of neutrophils, the white blood cells that fight bacterial infection first.