NEIL SHAH, MD: We have chronic myeloid leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. So we consider those four categories of leukemia.
ANNOUNCER: Each form of leukemia occurs at different rates in the population. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the most common form strikes about 10,000 people a year. Acute myeloid leukemia, 8000 a year. Chronic myeloid leukemia about 5000 a year. And acute lymphocytic leukemia about 4000 a year. Adult leukemia can affect any age group but is most common in older patients.
Adult leukemia can affect any age group but is most common in older patients.
BRIAN DRUKER, MD: With chronic myeloid leukemia, the average age of onset is 50 to 60 and it's quite similar with all of the other types of acute leukemia.
The most common leukemia in children is acute lymphocytic leukemia and there are about 2,000 cases per year of that in children, and also about 2,000 cases per year in adults. In the children, it affects younger children, generally between ages 2 and 4.
ANNOUNCER: What causes leukemia? While there isn't an exact cause, there are some known factors.
NEIL SHAH, MD: We know that there are some risk factors for the development of leukemia, such as exposure, sometimes to chemotherapy, sometimes exposure to radiation. The vast majority of patients, however, don't have any clearly identifiable risk factor.
BRIAN DRUKER, MD: It's certainly not thought to be inherited. It's an acquired disorder that you pick up an abnormality in the bone marrow.
