Leukemia Diagnosis Stories from Patients

What is leukemia? Leukemia is a broad term for cancers of the blood cells, most often occurring in adults over 55, but also a common cancer in children under 15.

The type of leukemia depends on the type of blood cell that becomes cancer and whether it grows quickly or slowly. (NCI)

Explore below for leukemia stories from real patients, from symptoms, diagnosis, to treatment.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)

Common symptoms: Fatigue, weakness, drenching night sweats, fever, easy bleeding or bruising, shortness of breath, loss of appetite or weight loss, bone or stomach pain, pain or feeling of fullness below ribs, painless lumps in neck, underarm, stomach, groin, lots of infections

Tatijane W.

Symptoms: Bone pain in ribs, trouble breathing, fast heart rate, painful lymph nodes in the neck, lump in between breasts
Treatments: Chemotherapy, double CAR T-cell therapy (clinical trial), bone marrow transplant

William Y., Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)

Symptoms: Extreme fatigue, achey hands
Treatments: Chemotherapy, CAR T-Cell therapy

Safyaa I., B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL)

Symptoms: Shortness of breath, dizziness, extreme fatigue, night sweats, audible heartbeat in the ears and tinnitus
Treatment: Chemotherapy

Anna T., B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Philadelphia chromosome-negative (Ph-ALL)

Symptoms: Heavy period for a few hours, fatigue, feverish, sweating, bruises on legs
Treatment: ECOG 10403

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Acute Myeloid Leukemia is a cancer in which the bone marrow makes immature white blood cells, known as myeloblasts. AML is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia is one of our newest conditions to get it’s own page – come help us build it. Visit the AML Homepage.

Renée F.

Symptoms: Bruising
Treatment: Chemotherapy, radiation, allogeneic bone marrow transplant

Michele G., Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

1st symptoms: Bruising, tiredness, shortness of breath, itching

Treatment: IV chemo, 2 stem cell transplants, targeted chemo pill

McKenzie R. Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL)

1st symptoms: Repeat sinus infections, abnormally heavy menstrual cycle
Treatment: Chemotherapy (ATRA oral pill & Arsenic trioxide infusions)

Leslie T., Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL)

Cancer details:A sub-type of AML
1st symptoms:Fatigue, joint paint, migraines, bruising easily, trouble breathing
Treatment:Chemotherapy (Atra & arsenic)

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

CLL is the most common form of leukemia in the U.S. It’s a cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell).

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (also called CLL) is a blood and bone marrow disease and usually progresses slowly as opposed to acute leukemias. It is the most common type of chronic leukemia in adults.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)

Michele T., Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)

Symptoms: Trouble breathing, rash, bruising

Treatments: Sprycel and Bosulif

Mark K., Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)

Initial Symptoms: Weight loss, low energy, night sweats, enlarged spleen, elevated WBC count, frequent need to urinate

Treatment: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs)

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Role: Interim executive director, hematologist-oncologist
Focus: Multiple myeloma, new drug development
Institution: Mayo Clinic
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Focus: Leukemias, Lymphomas, BMT
Institution: UT Southwestern
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Nina Shah, MD

Role: Hematologist-oncologist, researcher
Focus: Multiple Myeloma
Institution: University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
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