Leukemia is a cancer that affects the body’s blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system. There are different types of leukemia, which are:
Leukemia develops from a combination of genetic (when some blood cells acquire mutations in their DNA) and environmental factors but there is no exact known cause of leukemia. In general terms, it occurs with certain abnormal growth of the cells that divides rapidly and causes normal cells to die. Over time, higher ratio of abnormal cells in healthy blood cells in the bone marrow leads to fewer healthy white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets, causing the signs and symptoms of leukemia.
Like the fact that there is no known cause, there is no known way to prevent most types of leukemia. However, to prevent some types of leukemia, one should avoid high doses of radiation, exposure to the chemical benzene, smoking and other tobacco use, or certain types of chemotherapy which are used to treat other types of cancer.