Leukemia Overview

Leukemia is a cancer that affects your blood and bone marrow. It begins when a bone marrow cell transforms into a leukemia cell, which grows and survives better than normal cells. Eventually, these leukemia cells take over, hindering the growth of healthy cells.

According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the rate at which leukemia progresses and how the cells replace the normal blood and marrow cells are different with each type of leukemia.