The formation or production of white blood cells.
1. The malignant neoplasm of blood-forming tissues; characterized by abnormal proliferation of leukocytes; one of the four major types of cancer.
2. Cancer of the blood cells.
Strictly speaking, leukemia should refer only to cancer of the white blood cells (the leukocytes) but in practice it can apply to malignancy of any cellular element in the blood or bone marrow, as in red cell leukemia (erythroleukemia).
3. an often fatal cancer in which white blood cells displace normal blood, leading to infection, shortage of red blood cells anemia, bleeding, and other disorders.
Certain types of childhood leukemias respond well to treatment, which includes drugs chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The phagocytosis of leukocytes by cells of the monocyte-macrophage system.
Inter-related cross references, directly or indirectly, involving word units meaning "white":
albo-;
albumino-.
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