a malignant neoplasm of blood-forming tissues characterized by diffuse replacement of bone marrow with proliferating leukocyte precursors, abnormal numbers and forms of immature white cells in circulation, and infiltration of lymph nodes, the spleen and liver. Approximately 20,500 new cases in adults and 2500 in children are diagnosed annually in the United States, and the disease causes about 15,900 deaths a year. Males are affected twice as frequently as females. The origin of leukemia is not clear, but it may result from exposure to ionizing radiation, benzene, or other chemicals that are toxic to bone marrow. The risk of the disease is increased in individuals with Down's syndrome, Fanconi's syndrome, ataxia-telangiectasia, Bloom's syndrome, or some other forms of congenital aneuploidy, and in an identical twin of a leukemia victim. Leukemia is classified according to the predominant proliferating cells, the clinical course, and the duration of the disease. Acute leukemia usually has a sudden onset and rapidly progresses from early signs, such as fatigue, pallor, weight loss, and easy bruising, to fever, hemorrhages, extreme weakness, bone or joint pain, and repeated infections. Chronic leukemia develops slowly, and signs similar to those of the acute forms of the disease may not appear for years. Diagnoses of acute and chronic forms are made by blood tests and bone marrow biopsies. Involved marrow may range in color from muddy red-brown to pale gray, and changes are usually first evident in the vertebrae, ribs, sternum, and pelvis. The most effective treatment includes intensive combination chemotherapy, the use of antibiotics to prevent infections, and blood transfusions to replace red cells and platelets.

DR SOON is a medical practitioner. He holds four degrees. MBBS (University of Malaya), MBA (University of East Asia), LLB (Hons) (University of Wolverhampton), Master of Medicine (Edith Cowan University)