Classification of leukemia is based on disease progression and cell type involved. The first classification of leukemias is the rate at which this type of cancer develops:

Acute leukemia

Abnormal blood cells are immature blood cells or blasts; they can not perform their functions normally and multiply rapidly, so the disease is getting worse; acute leukemia requires rapid aggressive treatment.

Chronic leukemia

There are many types of chronic leukemias: some produce too many cells and some lead to too few cells. Chronic leukemia involves mature blood cells that multiply or accumulate more slowly and can function normally for a certain period of time; some forms of chronic leukemia do not initially produce symptoms and can remain without causing symptoms and undiagnosed for a long time.

Another classification is based on the type of white blood cell affected:

Lymphocytic leukemia

This type of leukemia affects lymphoid cells or lymphocytes, which form lymphoid or lymphatic tissue. Lymphatic tissue is the basis of the immune system.

Myeloid leukemia

This type of leukemia affects myeloid cells; myeloid cells support the development of cells that produce red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

The major types of leukemia are:

Acute lymphocytic leukemia

This is the most common type of leukemia in children, but can also occur in adults;

It is a form of very rapid leukemia. The disease occurs due to the development of abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow. Because of this, leukocytes are replaced by cancer cells that do not mature and help the body. The blood then carries abnormal cells to the internal organs, where they continue to multiply.

The disease may occur at any age, but is more commonly diagnosed in patients under 15 years of age and over 45 years of age. It is the most common form of leukemia in children.

The basic treatment is chemotherapy, which includes a combination of drugs designed to destroy abnormal blood cells. After the first phase of more aggressive therapy, the patient usually has maintenance chemotherapy that is easier to support to prevent the disease from recurring. 

Acute myeloid leukemia

This is a common type of leukemia, both in children and adults; is the most common type of acute leukemia among adults;

This type of leukemia is a form of cancer that progresses very rapidly. Bone marrow produces a certain type of cell that can no longer mature and does not become leukocytes. Because of this, they can not fight infections. Also, in this form of leukemia, the marrow produces many abnormal red blood cells that rapidly multiply and destroy the healthy globules that the body needs.

Treatment for this form of blood cancers includes chemotherapy, radiotherapy and stem cell transplantation. The main method of therapy is to administer a combination of drugs that destroy abnormal cells and attempt to restore a normal blood composition.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

This is the most common form of chronic leukemia among adults, where the symptoms occur when the disease has already progressed most of the time;

This is a form of slow-moving leukemia. It starts in the bone marrow, and then the cancer cells get into the blood. Often, the disease extends to the lymph nodes, the liver and the spleen. Accumulation of abnormal cells no longer allows healthy blood cells to fight diseases and infections.

Usually, the disease progresses very slowly and the symptoms become evident only after many years. Treatment involves oral chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the latter being especially recommended to reduce inflammation of lymph nodes and affected internal organs.

It is good to have your blood tests done annually so that the doctor can see possible health problems in the future. Treatment is more effective if the diagnosis is put quickly and differs depending on the type of leukemia.

Chronic myeloid leukemia

This type of leukemia affects adults in particular; a person with this form of cancer may not show any symptoms for many months or even years before the stage in which cancer cells develop very rapidly;

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a form of white blood cell cancer. It is a form of leukemia characterized by the accelerated and irregular growth of predominantly myeloid globules in the bone marrow and the accumulation of these blood cells in the blood. CML is a clonal disturbance of the bone marrow stem cell in which the primary aspect is the proliferation of mature granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils) and their precursors. It is a type of myeloproliferative disease associated with a characteristic chromosomal translocation called Philadelphia syndrome.

Other types of leukemia 

Those types of rare leukemias that include hairy cell leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, and myeloproliferative disorders.