Acute vs. Chronic

Young boy with acute lymphocytic leukemia
Taken from http://www.infobarrel.com/media/image/2637.jpg 

  Woman with chronic myeloid leukemia
Taken from:http://www.infobarrel.com/media/image/2637.jpg

Both myeloid leukemia and lymphocytic leukmia come in two forms: acute and chronic. The subtitles attribute subtle differences that apply to both. Acute leukemia generally occurs in children and young adults, while chronic leukemia almost always appears in middle aged or elder individuals. Similarly, acute leukemia most often impacts younger, "blast" cells while chronic leukemia tends to target cells at a mature stage. Patients suffering from an acute leukemia will have early detectable symptoms because acute cancer cells multiply rapidly. On the other hand, chronic leukemia can take years to take action; so one could have it without knowing. All other factors, like symptoms, progression, and treatment differs depending on the combination of acute or chronic and meyloid or lymphocytic. In other words, there are four types of leukemia, all with distinct characteristics.