Spotting the early signs of leukaemia before it’s too late

 LEUKAEMIA is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow and remains among the more common cancers in Malaysia, ranking within the top 10 nationally. The two main categories of leukaemia are acute and chronic. Acute leukaemias, such as acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and acute myeloid leukaemia, develop rapidly and require early diagnosis and treatment. Chronic leukaemias, such as chronic myeloid leukaemia and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, progress more slowly and may be monitored before treatment is initiated.

Unlike many solid tumours, leukaemia does not form a visible mass and has no routine population screening programme. Diagnosis depends largely on recognising early clinical features and performing a simple blood test.