There are two staging systems that integrate data on the tumor mass but do not predict the possibility of progression.
These two systems are the Binet, used more in Europe, and Rai, which is used in United States.
Rai stages are divided into categories of low risk, intermediate and high. Stage 0 is considered low risk, steps 1 and 2 intermediate risk, 3 and 4 and as high risks.
The causes, so far, are unknown to the majority of leukemias. Despite this, a known correlation between Epstein Barr virus and a form of acute lymphocytic leukemia, or ionizing radiation and disease.
It is not known why neither the mechanism of normal cells of the blood changes to a production of leukemia cells. What is known is that there is an alteration in cellular level of DNA that makes such a change occurs.
It is known that with increasing the space occupied by the tumor in the marrow, the development of stem cells and their production decline. This makes the occurrence of anemia (lack of red blood cells), a shortage of white blood cells and platelets.
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Bone marrow, which is inside the bones, is composed of hematopoietic cells by fat cells and supporting tissue.
Haematopoietic stem cells reproduce continuously to form new cells. Some of them will turn and other new stem cells, when mature, will become red cells, white cells and platelets.
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If the process of uncontrolled growth is done very quickly, so as to develop the number of extremely immature cells are called leukemia. If the process is slower, leading to the maturation of these cells, but not normal cells, but cancer is called chronic leukemia.
There are other classifications: thus we have the traditional classification, depending on the nature of the affected cell, which differentiates lymphoid leukemia and myeloid leukemia.
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