Ryan Mattison, MD, assistant professor (CHS), Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, discussed general information about leukemia in an article appearing in Health. 

The article noted that stand-up comedian and Chappelle’s Show writer Charlie Murphy, Eddie Murphy's older brother, passed away on April 12, 2017 at the age of 57 after undergoing treatment for an unspecified form of leukemia. 

Dr. Mattison explained the difference between acute leukemias (acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML)), and chronic leukemias (chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)). While all leukemia types are blood cancers affecting the ability to make normal white blood cells, the trajectory of disease differs for acute and chronic leukemias. Effective treatments are available for some forms.

“Some people can live for years without ever knowing they have one of the chronic leukemias,” he said. 

Resources:

• “Charlie Murphy Died of Leukemia, a Blood Cancer That Affects the Immune System,” Health, April 13, 2017