A high white blood cell (WBC) number in the blood indicates Leukaemia. Leukaemia is also known as the cancer of the blood cells, particularly the white blood cells. Leukaemia is derived from the term Leucocytes (White blood cells). In leukemia, uncontrol and abnormal growth of white blood cells take place in the bone marrow. Bone marrow is the site of hematopoiesis or the formation of blood cells.
The hematopoietic stem cells undergo proliferation and maturation to form a different types of blood cells. The hematopoietic stem cells either develop into myeloid/myelogenous cells or lymphoid/lymphogenous cells. The myeloid cells are the progenitor cells for red blood cells, white blood cells such as basophils, eosinophils, and neutrophils and platelets. The lymphoid cells are the progenitor cells for lymphocytes and NK cells. Leukemia cells are normally undeveloped or immature white blood cells.
According to the speed of disease progression, Leukaemia is of two types: Acute leukaemia (disease progresses quickly) and Chronic leukemia (disease progresses slowly). According to cell types, Leukaemia is of two types: Myelogenous leukaemia (Leukaemia of myeloid cells) and Lymphocytic leukaemia (Leukaemia of lymphoid cells).
The symptoms of leukaemia are pale skin, swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, fever, red spots in the skin, enlargement of the spleen and liver.
