Care of the hospitalized adult patient with leukemia.

Leukemia has often been thought of as a disease of children; however, it actually affects more adults than children. The American Cancer Society has estimated an incidence of 23,500 new cases of leukemia in the United States in 1982. This number includes an estimated 21,000 new cases in adults and 2500 new cases in children. While the incidence of leukemia is greater in adults, progress in the treatment of leukemia has been greater in children. Leukemia refers to a group of diseases characterized by malignant transformation of either hematopoietic cells or their precursors and the subsequent neoplastic proliferation of abnormal cells that are impaired in maturation and functional capability.