Leukemias

Leukemias are cancers that begin in cells of the bone marrow and then invade the blood. They encompass both acute (acute lymphocytic leukemia or ALL; acute myeloid leukemia or AML) and chronic forms (chronic lymphocytic leukemia or CLL; chronic myeloid leukemia or CML). Leukemia is often associated with childhood cancer, but according to the ACS it occurs 10 times more frequently in adults than in children. In Colorado, the cumulative lifetime risk of leukemia is one in 45 for males and one in 80 for females. Although Colorado incidence rates for leukemia were about 8% higher than U.S. rates in 2002-2006, the incidence declined in 2007 to rates that were similar to national rates. Five-year survival rates for adult leukemias were stable at 42%-47% between 1996 and 2003, while five-year survival rates for childhood leukemias stood at 87%.