blood disorders
Overview of Leukemia
Complications of leukemia
Leukemia cells ultimately occupy the bone marrow, replacing or suppressing the function of cells that develop into normal blood cells. This interference with normal bone marrow cell function can lead to inadequate numbers of: Red blood cells (causing Overview of Anemia ) Normal white blood cells (increasing the risk of infection) Platelets ( Overview of Thrombocytopenia , increasing the risk of bleeding) Also, the cancerous white blood cells do not function like normal white blood cells so they cannot help the body fight off infections. Leukemia cells may also invade other organs, including the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, testes, and brain. 