leukemia

leu·ke·mia | \ lü-ˈkē-mē-ə

How to pronounce leukemia (audio)

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Definition of leukemia

: an acute or chronic disease in humans and other warm-blooded animals characterized by an abnormal increase in the number of white blood cells in the tissues and often in the blood

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Examples of leukemia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Five-year-old Riley Chicino's tiny classroom chair has been empty since she was diagnosed with leukemia last summer. — Nikki Battiste, CBS News, "A brave preschooler with leukemia and her classmates show the power of friendship," 18 Feb. 2020 Koska, 5-foot-7, 120 pounds, a sophomore, who missed the first 10 weeks of the cross country season with an injury only to return in time to help the school win state, recently was diagnosed with leukemia. — Richard Obert, azcentral, "North Phoenix Prep runners line up to shave heads to support teammate fighting leukemia," 30 Jan. 2020 Mundelein resident Rhonda Hinks started donating blood in 1988 after a coworker was diagnosed with leukemia. — Phil Rockrohr, chicagotribune.com, "Shout Out: Rhonda Hinks, a Mundelein resident who is being recognized for her 100th blood donation," 11 Dec. 2019 Overall, 37% to 93% of patients with lymphoma and 77% to 93% of those with leukemia suffer CRS, oncologists reported last year. — Sharon Begley, STAT, "Tweaking how CAR-T therapy kills tumors could stop a dangerous side effect, study finds," 17 Jan. 2020 People who have leukemia or HIV, or receive chemotherapy or steroids have weakened immune systems. — Julie Washington, cleveland, "Shingles vaccine and virus: What you need to know," 15 Dec. 2019 Novartis’ Gleevec, approved in 2001, turned a form of leukemia into a chronic disease. — Matthew Herper, STAT, "The debate over America’s drug-pricing system is built on myths. It’s time to face reality," 23 Dec. 2019 One of the boys described in the new paper was immunocompromised with a history of leukemia, and his temporary symptoms included numbness and slurred speech. — Michael Nedelman, CNN, "Chickenpox vaccine reactivates in two boys, causing rare meningitis," 27 Nov. 2019 Launched in 2017, RGF is named after Gordy’s grandson Ryan, who died of leukemia at the age of 29 in 2016. — Gail Mitchell, Billboard, "Berry Gordy & Smokey Robinson Feted by Ryan Gordy Foundation," 12 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'leukemia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near leukemia

leukaemogenesis

Statistics for leukemia

Last Updated

22 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Leukemia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leukemia. Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for leukemia

leukemia

noun

English Language Learners Definition of leukemia

medical : a very serious disease in which the body forms too many white blood cells

See the full definition for leukemia in the English Language Learners Dictionary

leukemia

leu·ke·mia | \ lü-ˈkē-mē-ə

\

Kids Definition of leukemia

: a serious disease in which too many white blood cells are formed

leukemia

leu·ke·mia | \ lü-ˈkē-mē-ə

\

variants: also leucemia \ lü-ˈkē- also lü-ˈsē- \ or chiefly British leukaemia also leucaemia

Medical Definition of leukemia

: an acute or chronic disease of unknown cause in humans and other warm-blooded animals that involves the blood-forming organs, is characterized by an abnormal increase in the number of white blood cells in the tissues of the body with or without a corresponding increase of those in the circulating blood, and is classified according to the type of white blood cell most prominently involved — see acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, feline leukemia, lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphocytic leukemia, monocytic leukemia, myelogenous leukemia, promyelocytic leukemia

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