Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Leukaemia is a type of blood cancer, which starts in blood-forming tissue, such as the bone marrow, and causes large numbers of immature blood cells to be produced and enter the bloodstream. Leukaemia is subdivided into different subtypes according to cellular maturity (acute or chronic) and cell type (lymphocytic or myeloid).