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History: The ancient Greeks are credited to be the first to recognize cancer in the 4th or 5th century. Leukemia was first diagnosed in 1845 by John Hughes Benett. In the 19th century, European physicians reported that their patients had high levels of white blood cell, thus naming the disease "weisses blut" or "white blood". "In 1913 the four types of Leukemia were classified: : chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia, and erythroleukemia"(Nelson 2005). In 1970 Leukemia could officially be cured and by the 80's and 90's the cure rates were around 70%. The understanding and diagnosis of cancer were largely contributed to "William Harvey's recognition of the circulatory system of the blood and Gaspae Aselli's explanation of the lymphatic system"(Nelson 2005). In the 19th and 20th century risk factors that increase cancer were recognized and in 1920 "Hermann Muller recognized that ionizing radiation could cause mutations in DNA that contributed to cancer"(Nelson 2005).
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Symptoms:
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Treatment:
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Diagnosis:
Doctors may find signs of Leukemia in a routine blood test, then you will undergo the following exams:
Life Expectancy:
Most people with Leukemia will remain in the chronic phase, but if they do not detect the disease early or do not respond well to treatment, they can go into the accelerated or blast crisis phase. People in the chronic phase have a survival rate of about 87%. People in the accelerated or blast crisis phase can have survival rates similar to people in the chronic phase if they respond well to treatments. However the average survival rate is below 10%. |