Leukemia: About White Blood Cells

People with leukemia are prone to a range of skin-related problems, from rashes and bruising to infections and bleeding into the skin.


Leukemia can disrupt the body’s production of platelets, which normally form blood clots to stop bleeding. That can set the stage for bruising. “When platelets become low, patients often bleed into the skin spontaneously or with minimal trauma,” Forrestel says.

Capillaries burst underneath the skin, and if there aren’t enough platelets to block damaged capillaries, blood leaks into the skin, says Forrestel.

In addition to petechiae, this can appear as purpura (larger red or purple areas), or ecchymoses (bruises), Forrestel says.

According to Forrestel, these spots usually take weeks to go away, but gentle skin care and avoiding trauma when possible can also help prevent the condition.
There are five types of leukocytes (white blood cells) found in the blood:
  • Basophils
  • Eosinophils
  • Lymphocytes
  • Monocytes
  • Neutrophils
Each cell type has a specific role to play in our body's immune system. Important overall functions of the immune system include defense against invading microorganisms, removal of dead or damaged cells, and destruction of cancer cells. 

Learn more about the immune system

Blood cell formation begins with a special cell located in the bone marrow called a hematopoietic stem cell. Unlike most cells, the hematopoietic stem cell has the capability for self-renewal as well as the ability to give rise to any one of the separate blood cell types. 

This means that as the stem cell divides in two, one cell replaces the original stem cell and the other begins the multi-step process of developing into a mature blood cell.
 
It is important to note that hematopoietic stem cells are different from embryonic stem cells. While hematopoietic stem cells can develop into any type of blood cell, embryonic stem cells can develop into any cell type in the body.
 
Blood cell precursors usually progress through a series of stages in the bone marrow before entering the circulating blood stream. Signals from surrounding cells in the bone marrow can help stimulate stem cells to divide as well as develop and mature into specific blood cell types. 

Normal cell division is also regulated by an important process known as the cell cycle. Disruption of this process is central to the development ofleukemia.

Learn more about the cell cycle
For more information about leukemia visit the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.

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