Leukemia is a type of cancer, where the white blood cells are produced in excess by the body. Leukemia could be of various types and prognosis for leukemia varies a lot. There are some pertinent factors that should be kept in mind when prognosis for leukemia is discussed about. Chronic leukemia prognosis is usually more positive than prognosis of acute leukemia. In lymphocytic leukemia prognosis is even less hopeful. Age of the patient, the overall health of the patient and the time that has elapsed since the diagnosis etc are important for prognosis of leukemia. If the leukemia has been diagnosed early and the patient is not too old and has a good overall health, then the chances for survival increase.

Duration of Leukemia

By and large, acute leukemia is seen to progress faster than chronic leukemia. A person suffering from chronic myeloid leukemia can survive for many years before his/her condition comes close to being described as acute myeloid leukemia, even without drugs like imatinib or a transplantation of the bone marrow.

Chances of complications of Leukemia

1. Leukemia can cause other disorders and other secondary conditions and symptoms. These are called complications of Leukemia. Some of the complications that Leukemia can cause include:
2. Roth Spots: These are retina spots that are round and white surrounded by hemorrhage in bacterial endocarditis and in other retinal hemorrhagic conditions.
3. Pyoderma gangrenosum: This is an unusual inflammatory disorder of the skin. Small red bumps or blisters that later get ulcerated are a characteristic feature of Pyoderma Gangrenosum.
4. Raynaud’s phenomenon: This a kind of malfunctioning of the small blood vessels that affect fingers and toes. It can cause reduction in blood flow and coldness.
5. Increase in level of LDH: This is the increased level of Lactate dehydrogenase in blood or serum.
6. Urate level increase: The amount of urination increases alarmingly.
7. Increase in level of Uric Acid: Plasma or serum has urine acid in excess in the blood concentrations.

Prospects for recovery

Usually the chances of recovery are estimated by the prognosis made by the doctor. But a prognosis need not be accurate. Leukemia is a serious illness but there have been cases of people surviving at every stage of leukemia. There are also cases of people surviving despite the doctor’s prognosis of leukemia. Therefore, though the prospects of recovery are to a large extent determined by prognosis of leukemia. Prospects for recovery can never be accurately calculated.

Recovery period for Leukemia

After a stem cell transplant, a person recovers physically within a year but for complete mental and psychological healing, it could take another 3 to 5 years.

Survival & death rates

It is said that around leukemia will cause 21,710 deaths in US in 2008. But, still the rate of survival has gone up almost 4 times in the last4-5 decades. Here are the details of the survival rates:

Acute lymphocytic leukemia: 66%

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia- 76.2%

Acute myelogenous leukemia- 21.3%

Chronic myelogenous leukemia- 46.7%