Words to know: Leukemia
- Bone marrow
- The soft tissue inside bones where blood cells are made.
- Acute
- Fast-growing. Acute leukemia needs treatment right away.
- Chronic
- Slow-growing. Chronic leukemia may not need treatment right away.
- Myeloid
- Cells that grow into red cells, platelets, and some white cells.
- Lymphoid (lymphocytic)
- Related to lymphocytes, the white blood cells of the immune system.
- Blast
- A young, immature blood cell. Too many blasts is a sign of acute leukemia.
- Platelets
- Tiny blood cells that help your blood clot and stop bleeding.
- Anemia
- Too few red blood cells, which can make you tired and short of breath.
- Neutropenia
- Too few neutrophils, the white cells that fight bacteria. It raises the risk of infection.
- Transfusion
- Getting donated red blood cells or platelets through a vein.
- Induction
- The first round of treatment for acute leukemia, aimed at remission.
- Consolidation
- Treatment given after remission to kill leukemia cells that are left.
- Remission
- No signs of leukemia on tests, with blood counts back toward normal.
- Relapse
- When leukemia comes back after treatment.
- Refractory
- Leukemia that does not respond to treatment.
- Measurable residual disease (MRD)
- Tiny amounts of leukemia found only with very sensitive tests.
- Philadelphia chromosome
- A joined chromosome that makes the BCR-ABL gene. It causes CML and some ALL.
- Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)
- A pill that blocks the BCR-ABL signal that drives CML and Ph+ ALL.
- BTK inhibitor
- A pill that blocks a signal CLL cells need to survive and grow.
- Hypomethylating agent
- A gentler drug, such as azacitidine or decitabine, often used with venetoclax for AML.
- CAR T-cell therapy
- A treatment that changes your own T cells in a lab so they can attack leukemia.
- Allogeneic stem cell transplant
- A transplant using blood-forming cells from a donor to replace your marrow.
- Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)
- When donor immune cells attack the body after a transplant.
- Tumor lysis syndrome
- Kidney and blood salt problems caused by many cancer cells dying at once.
- Treatment-free remission
- Staying in deep remission after stopping TKI pills for CML, under close monitoring.
Last updated: 2026-10-27. Medically reviewed by Veli Bakalov, MD, medical oncologist (October 2026). General education from Step by Step, the patient portal of HemeOncBuddy.