John Hughes Bennett (Figure 3), pathologist at the Royal Infirmary Edinburgh, gave leukemia its first published recognition as a clinical entity and as a blood-related disease. He was then often referred to as the person who first discovered leukemia because his description was more complete and scientific in nature.

How did leukemia originate?

Leukemia develops when the DNA of developing blood cells, mainly white cells, incurs damage. This causes the blood cells to grow and divide uncontrollably. Healthy blood cells die, and new cells replace them. These develop in the bone marrow.

What famous person has leukemia?

NameAgeType of CancerKareem Abdul-Jabbar62chronic myelogenous leukemiaMary Travers72acute myelogenous leukemiaMichael C. Hall39Hodgkin’s DiseasePaul Allen56Hodgkin’s Disease (1983), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (2009)