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Signs and Symptoms

Signs and symptoms are changes in the body that may indicate disease. A sign is a change that the doctor sees during an examination or on a laboratory test result. A symptom is a change that a patient can see and/or feel. A person who has signs or symptoms that suggest the possibility of leukemia is usually referred to a specialist. This is a hematologist-oncologist. A hematologist-oncologist is a doctor who has special training in diagnosing and treating blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

Margot

I lost my father at age 53 to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after a hard 13-month battle. I want to get involved with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) to spread awareness around leukemia and other blood cancers, to hopefully help other patients and loved ones going through this. My brother, Jack Austin, has run 2 marathons under the team "Running for Rob" and has fundraised over $10K for LLS. I want to get involved and fundraise to not only spread awareness and support to those dealing with this dreadful disease.

Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm

For personalized disease and treatment information, or to learn about clinical trials, contact one of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS's) Information Specialists at (800) 955-4572. Background

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) was previously known as natural killer (NK) cell leukemia/lymphoma. As understanding of the biology and origin of this malignancy has improved, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the term blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) in 2008.

Monica

Our daughter, Monica, is a busy mother of three sweet girls, age 12 months, 3 years and 6 years. After a long winter filled with the girls’ colds, infections, and flu, Monica was exhausted.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) usually involves ruling out other similar diseases such as chronic myelomonocytic leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia, especially if your child is older than 6 years. Doctors commonly use blood tests and bone marrow tests to diagnose JMML.

The tests used to diagnose JMML include:

Graham

I am joining former England and Crystal Palace footballer and leukemia survivor, Geoff Thomas, and 23 other teammates to cycle the full Tour de France route one week ahead of the professionals to raise funds for the UK charity Cure Leukaemia. It's three huge goals — riding the Tour de France, raising $40,000 myself, and the team’s goal of $1 million. But with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) help, I know I can achieve it. 

Tom

Hello Friends — this is my leukemia journey, For those of you who don’t know me, my entire 38-year teaching career was spent with 9-12 year olds. I’ve always relished the authenticity and passion of this age group and that led me to a very satisfying and rewarding chapter in my life.

Makenzie

My daughter Makenzie was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in January 2013, when she was just four years old. She had no signs or symptoms of leukemia. One day, Makenzie had a sore throat and we made an appointment with her pediatrician. Turns out she did have strep throat, but an exam also revealed her spleen was very enlarged. At that point, her pediatrician did bloodwork and learned that Makenzie's white cell count was through the roof. We were sent to Texas Children’s Hospital where later that evening she was diagnosed with CML.

Betty

In 2013, after doing the 60 mile, three day walk in support of breast cancer, of which I am also a survivor of, I realized that something seemed wrong as the walk was extremely difficult for me, unlike the previous 5 walks I had done. I made an appointment to see my doctor that next week and after doing some tests, I was told I had acute myloid leukemia. I was told I needed to check into the University of MN hospital that same day. And so began my journey with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Tina

My son Evan was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) when he was two years and seven months old. He went into remission a month later. He finished his chemotherapy and treatment, but shortly after he relapsed. He went through radiation and chemotherapy again and was given a bone marrow transplant. He never made it out of the hospital and passed away when he was four and a half.   The reason I fundraise for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is so other parents won’t have to go through what we went through.

CMML Subtypes

Most people diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) have one of three different subtypes of CMML. Doctors classify CMML subtypes by the percentage of blast cells ("blasts") in the blood and bone marrow.

Doctors use a classification system developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2001 and updated in 2016. The three subtypes are:

Chemotherapy and Drug Therapy

If you're being treated for chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), your first line of defense may be drug therapy. You'll be given potent drugs that must be toxic enough to damage or kill the cancer cells. At the same time, these drugs take aim at normal cells and cause side effects. Yet, not everyone experiences side effects and people react differently. 

Drugs Used for CMML

There is no one standard treatment for CMML. There are three FDA approved treatments for patients, which include:

Jayne & Jenny

My sister Jenny and I both have chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and I was doing the Facebook challenge, “50 Miles in November,” for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) in honor of us. 

Signs and Symptoms

Signs and symptoms vary from patient to patient and depend on the type of CMML. Click here to learn more about subtypes of CMML. 

Those with a myelodysplastic subtype (MD-CMML) tend to present with low blood cell counts. Signs and symptoms may include:

Andreas Strasser, Ph.D., MSc, FAA

A Pioneering Researcher Developing Targeted Therapies for Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma

A cancer researcher trained in cell biology, immunology and molecular oncology, Dr. Strasser has made major contributions leading to discoveries that have found that defects in cell death can cause cancer and impair responses to chemotherapy. With this knowledge, his research team is able to develop new treatments. 

Heath Ponder named as member of the National Philanthropy Committee

Diagnosis

An accurate diagnosis of the type of leukemia is important. The exact diagnosis helps the doctor to estimate how the disease will progress and determine the appropriate treatment

Diagnosing acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and your AML subtype usually involves a series of tests. Some of these tests may be repeated during and after therapy to measure the effects of treatment.

Refractory and Relapsed Childhood AML

Refractory AML: Some patients have residual leukemia cells in their bone marrow even after they receive intensive treatment for AML. In these cases, the disease is referred to as “refractory” (or “refractory AML”). Less than 15 percent of children have refractory AML.

Sarah

My daughter Sarah was a fun, smart, and scrappy kid. She was a great student, was involved in Student Council, was President of her class, played in the marching band, and played rugby. She had caught a cold around Thanksgiving of 2010. By December 7, she was in the hospital. We were told she had acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I wasn’t even sure what leukemia was, but I knew it was serious. I was hoping in a few months she would be okay, and we would move on with life.

Brian

Our family has once again joined the fight to beat leukemia and lymphoma together with the support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). I am a cancer survivor who comes from a family that, for three generations, has had eight family members with solid tumors or blood cancers. We understand cancer; we will never give up the fight. 

Preston

Preston was a regular 12-year-old kid who loved being active and was obsessed with playing basketball. He got sick in August and was still having a hard time recovering in late September. We realized he needed a thorough check-up and decided to bypass the doctor’s office and go directly to the ER. He had been extremely lethargic and was losing weight. His lips were pale, and his body was cold to the touch.

Bishoy

Leukemia Survivor Travels From Egypt to Receive Treatment

At just three years old, Bishoy’s parents uprooted him and his family from Egypt to America after he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He underwent treatment for most of his childhood until finally receiving a clean bill of health at thirteen years old. 

Relapsed and Refractory

Some patients have residual leukemia cells in their bone marrow even after they receive intensive treatment. In these cases, the disease is referred to as being “refractory” (or “refractory ALL”).

Other patients achieve remission but later have decreased numbers of normal blood cells and a return of leukemia cells in their bone marrow. This is referred to as a “relapse” of the disease (or “relapsed ALL”). 

Michael

I’m Michael and I’m a two time leukemia survivor. My story is the force that drives me, fuels my energy, and led me to challenge myself to jump rope 1,000,000 skips in 2020. I’m doing it to bring awareness to blood cancer and raise money for LLS. When I heard, “Michael, we have your blood test results. We’ve arranged for your hospital admittance. Please go there now,” I thought ”This can’t be right”. Two days later on Thanksgiving, I had my diagnosis – hairy cell leukemia.

Aiden

Aiden and his identical twin brother, Mason, were born perfectly healthy at 37 weeks. They were great babies and were rarely ever sick. They hit all their milestones on time and were thriving. When they were 2½ years old, I started looking into preschools in the area to begin their education.