How fast does Leukemia spread?

Two months ago my father was given a clean bill of health by his physician. He previously had lung cancer and it was treated with chemo. Last week he was diagnosed with Leukemia and was given 2 to 3 days to live. He died the next day. Can Leukemia develop and spread that quickly?

I'm so sorry.

Yes, secondary leukemia can develop quickly and there is little anyone can do to stop the progression. Your father had already been heavily pre-treated and the chemotherapy could have triggered the leukemia. His doctor should be able to explain this to you if you called him. There is really no way of knowing for sure unless you talk to the doctor.

But, in general, leukemia that comes on that quickly is considered a secondary cancer to the lung cancer. There are journals and articles written about this type of response. There really isn't anything that anyone could have done at that point.

http://www.google.com/search?q=secondary...

I've known several patients that have passed away quickly after developing a secondary cancer. Children are generally more susceptible to this than adults. This doesn't happen to everyone and there is no way of determining yet who is at risk for developing a secondary cancer.

So sorry this happened to you. Take care.

i am so sorry.......
yeah, it does

There are different types of leukemia, some progress fast while others have a prolonged course. So the diseas progression really depends on the type of leukemia a person has.

Your father's leukemia might have been active for a while, but sounds like it wasn't detected until it's late stage.

yes it can I am sorry for your loss .I lost a cousin when he was 7 from that it is a very deadly desiese.Plus your father had cancer also leukemia is a form of cancer

well first of my deepest sympathies for the loss of your father. I'm not so sure if Leukemia spreads that quickly. it is possible that he had it for longer than he was diagnosed with it.

Leukemia is cancer of the blood ---it really doesn't spread its just in the blood.are you sure you got the correct info? my brother had it for two years. then again he had not had any other cancer or chemo which takes your immune system way down and sometimes you can't fight off things .

Well, it's not common, but there are some agressive cancers which can develop from an undetectible stage to being very serious or even fatal in a short period of time. It may be that there was something present at the time of the examination, but it was not detectable, but what you're describing is a very agressive disease indeed, but, unfortunately, within the realm of possibility.

I would have thought that signs of something being wrong in blood work (if this was done 2 months ago) should have shown up
. Acute leukaemias are very fast developing and can take only months (without treatment) before the patient dies. Bone marrow biopsy is the only way to tell that it is leukaemia and your dad wouldnt have needed tests like this for lung cancer. Full blood counts can show abnormalities, like high while count or low haemoglobin and platelet levels. Sorry for your loss.

I am SO sorry about the loss of your father.
Here is a site with the best disease info for your research:
http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/hm_lls
Best wishes