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The term leukemia describes a number of cancers of the blood cells, originating in the bone marrow, the soft tissue inside most bones where the blood cells form. In a leukemia patient the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells, which are known as leukemia cells. These leukemia cells do not perform their function and, as they are produced in great numbers, crowd out normal white and red blood cells as well as platelets, preventing them from doing their jobs leading to serious problems such as anemia, bleeding, and infections.

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