Abstract
Acute leukemia is a malignant disorder arising in immature hematopoietic cells. Studies using X-chromosome inactivation cellular mosaicism have confirmed the clonal origin of acute leukemia and demonstrated that the leukemic process can begin in immature cells not yet committed to differentiation to a particular lineage or in more mature cells committed to develop along a particular lineage pathway (Fig. 1, Plate 16). The failure of these cells to fully differentiate and the growth advantage they demonstrate over normal cells result in cytopenias that can become life-threatening over a matter of months. Acute leukemia is broadly divided into acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This chapter reviews the etiology, classification, clinical manifestations, prognosis, and treatment of acute leukemia.
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Litzow, M.R. (2001). Acute Leukemia. In: Tefferi, A. (eds) Primary Hematology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-228-9_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-228-9_14
Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ
Print ISBN: 978-1-61737-122-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-228-9
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