Leukemia
Everything You Need To Know About Leukemia
Leukemia is cancer of blood cells. There are several types of blood cells, including red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC) and platelets. Generally, leukemia refers to cancer of white blood cells.
White blood cells are an important part of the immune system. They can protect your body from bacteria, viruses and fungi, as well as abnormal cells and other foreign bodies. In leukemia, white blood cells do not function like normal white blood cells. They may also divide too fast and eventually crowd out normal cells.
White blood cells are mainly produced in the bone marrow, but certain types of white blood cells can also be produced in the lymph nodes, spleen, and thymus. After formation, white blood cells circulate in the body in the blood and lymph (fluid that circulates through the lymphatic system), concentrated in the lymph nodes and spleen.
Risk factors for leukemia
The cause of leukemia is unclear. However, some factors that may increase risk have been identified. These include:
- Family history of leukemia
- Smoking increases the risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
- Down syndrome and other genetic diseases
- Blood diseases, such as myelodysplastic syndrome, sometimes called “pre-leukemia”
- Previous methods of using chemotherapy or radiation to treat cancer
- Exposure to high levels of radiation
- Exposure to chemicals such as benzene
Types of leukemia
The onset of leukemia can be acute (sudden onset) or chronic (slow onset). In acute leukemia, cancer cells multiply rapidly. In chronic leukemia, the disease progresses slowly, and early symptoms may be very mild.
Leukemia is also classified according to cell type. Leukemias involving myeloid cells are called myeloid leukemias. Bone marrow cells are immature blood cells that usually become granulocytes or monocytes. Leukemia involving lymphocytes is called lymphocytic leukemia. There are four main types of leukemia
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) can occur in children and adults. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) surveillance, epidemiology and final results program, approximately 21,000 new cases of AML are diagnosed in the United States each year. This is the most common form of leukemia. The five-year survival rate for AML is 26.9%.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
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Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) mostly occurs in children. NCI estimates that approximately 6,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The five-year survival rate for ALL is 68.2%.
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) mainly affects adults. According to NCI data, approximately 9,000 new CML cases are diagnosed each year. The five-year survival rate of CML is 66.9%.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is most likely to affect people over 55 years of age. Rarely seen in children. According to NCI, approximately 20,000 new cases of CLL are diagnosed each year. The five-year survival rate for CLL is 83.2%.
Hairy cell leukemia is a very rare subtype of CLL. Its name comes from the appearance of cancer cells under the microscope.
What are the symptoms of leukemia?
Symptoms of leukemia include:
- Excessive sweating, especially at night (called “night sweats”)
- Fatigue and weakness cannot go away with rest
- Unexpected weight loss
- Bone pain and tenderness
- Painless, swollen lymph nodes (especially in the neck and armpits)
- Enlarged liver or spleen
- Red spots on the skin called petechiae
- Bleed easily and bruise easily
- Fever or chills
- Frequent infections
Leukemia can also cause symptoms in organs that have been infiltrated or affected by cancer cells. For example, if cancer spreads to the central nervous system, it can cause headaches, nausea and vomiting, confusion, loss of muscle control, and seizures.
Leukemia can also spread to other parts of the body, including:
- Lung
- Gastrointestinal tract
- Heart
- Kidney
- Testis
- Diagnosing leukemia
If you have certain risk factors or related symptoms, you may suspect leukemia. Luekemia cancer treatment, your do ctor will first perform a complete medical history and physical examination, but the physical examination cannot completely diagnose leukemia. Instead, doctors will use blood tests, biopsy, and imaging tests for diagnosis.
Test
There are many different tests that can be used to diagnose leukemia. The complete blood count determines the number of RBC, WBC and platelets in the blood. Looking at your blood under a microscope can also determine if these cells have an abnormal appearance.
Biopsy tissue can be taken from the bone marrow or lymph nodes to look for evidence of leukemia. These small samples can determine the type of leukemia and its growth rate. Biopsy of other organs such as the liver and spleen can show whether the cancer has spread.
Staging
Once leukemia is diagnosed, it will be carried out in stages. Staging can help your doctor determine your prospects.
AML and ALL are staged according to the appearance of cancer cells under the microscope and the cell types involved. ALL and CLL are graded according to the WBC count at the time of diagnosis. The presence of immature white blood cells or myoblasts in the blood and bone marrow can also be used to stage AML and CML.
Assess progress
Many other tests can be used to assess the progression of the disease:
Flow cytometry examines the DNA of cancer cells and determines their growth rate.
Liver function tests indicate whether leukemia cells are affecting or invading the liver.
Lumbar puncture is performed by inserting fine needles between the vertebrae in your lower back. This allows your doctor to collect spinal fluid and determine if the cancer has spread to the central nervous system.
Imaging tests such as X-rays, ultrasound and CT scans can help doctors find any damage to other organs caused by leukemia.
Treat leukemia
Leukemia is usually treated by a hematologist-oncologist. These are doctors who specialize in blood diseases and cancer. The treatment method depends on the type and stage of the cancer. Some forms of leukemia grow slowly and do not require immediate treatment. However, the treatment of leukemia usually involves one or more of the following:
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill leukemia cells. Depending on the type of leukemia, you can take a single drug or a combination of different drugs.
Radiotherapy uses high-energy radiation to destroy leukemia cells and inhibit their growth. Radiation can be applied to specific areas or the entire body.
Stem cell transplantation can replace the diseased bone marrow with healthy bone marrow from your own (called an autologous transplant) or a donor (called an allogeneic transplant). This procedure is also called bone marrow transplantation.
Therapies used in biological or immunotherapy help your immune system recognize and attack cancer cells.
The drugs used in targeted therapies exploit loopholes in cancer cells. For example, imatinib (Gleevec) is a targeted drug for CML.
Long-term outlook
The long-term outlook of leukemia patients depends on the type of cancer they have and the stage of diagnosis. The sooner leukemia is diagnosed and treated, the better the chance of recovery. Certain factors (such as age, past history of blood disorders, and chromosomal mutations) can negatively affect the outlook.
According to NCI data, from 2005 to 2014, the number of leukemia deaths fell by an average of 1% every year. From 2007 to 2013, the five-year survival rate (or the percentage of survival five years after being diagnosed) was 60.6%. .
However, it should be noted that this number covers people of all ages and suffering from various forms of leukemia. It cannot predict the outcome of anyone. Work with your medical team to treat leukemia. Remember, everyone’s situation is different.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cancer of the body’s blood-forming tissues, such as the lymphatic system and bone marrow, is known as leukemia.
There are several forms of leukemia. Some leukemia types are more prevalent in youngsters. Most cases of other types of leukemia are in adults.
Usually, leukemia affects white blood cells. Your white blood cells are effective infection-fighting agents; they typically develop and divide in an organized manner as required by your body. But in leukemia patients, the bone marrow makes an overwhelming number of aberrant, dysfunctional white blood cells.
Depending on the leukemia’s kind and other variables, treatment for leukemia may be difficult. However, there are methods and tools that can aid in the effectiveness of your treatment.
Numerous variables affect how your leukaemia will be treated. Depending on your age, general health, the type of leukaemia you have, and if it has spread to other areas of your body, such as the central nervous system, your doctor will decide on your leukaemia treatment choices.
Leukemia is frequently treated using the following methods:
- Chemotherapy. The main treatment for leukaemia is chemotherapy. Chemicals are used in this medication to destroy leukaemia cells. You can be given a single medication or a cocktail of medications, depending on the type of leukaemia you have. These medications can be taken as pills or they can be injected right into a vein.
- Targeted therapy. concentrate on certain defects that are prevalent in cancer cells. Targeted medication therapies can kill cancer cells by preventing these aberrations. To determine whether targeted therapy could be beneficial for you, your leukaemia cells will be examined.
- Radiation therapy. X-rays and other high-energy beams are used in radiation treatment to harm leukaemia cells and halt their proliferation. You lie on a table during radiation therapy as a huge machine travels around you, aiming the radiation at certain areas of your body. Radiation treatments can target a single region of your body with a concentration of leukaemia cells or they might cover your entire body. A bone marrow transplant can be prepared for using radiation treatment.
- Bone marrow transplant. By replacing diseased bone marrow with leukemia-free stem cells that will regenerate healthy bone marrow, a bone marrow transplant, also known as a stem cell transplant, aids in the restoration of healthy stem cells. You get extremely high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy prior to a bone marrow transplant to kill your leukemia-producing bone marrow. After that, you receive an injection of blood-forming stem cells to aid in bone marrow regeneration. You might be able to use your own stem cells or get them from a donor.
- Immunotherapy. Your immune system is used in immunotherapy to combat cancer. Due to the cancer cells’ ability to create proteins that aid in their concealment from immune system cells, your body’s disease-fighting immune system may not attack your cancer. Immunotherapy affects that process in order to work.
- Engineering immune cells to fight leukemia. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy is a specialist procedure that employs your body’s immune system’s T cells to attack cancer by genetically modifying them to do so. For some forms of leukaemia, CAR-T cell treatment may be a possibility.
- Clinical trials. Clinical trials are tests of novel cancer therapies and innovative applications of currently available therapies. While the opportunity to test the most recent cancer treatment is provided through clinical trials for you or your kid, there may be unknown advantages and concerns. With your doctor, go about the advantages and disadvantages of clinical trials.
The precise causes of leukaemia are unknown to scientists. It appears to be the result of both genetic and environmental influences.
Some elements that could raise your risk of getting certain types of leukaemia include:
- Previous cancer treatment. Certain types of leukaemia are more likely to develop in people who have undergone specific forms of radiation and chemotherapy for other cancers.
- Genetic disorders. Leukemia development appears to be influenced by genetic anomalies. An elevated risk of leukaemia is linked to specific genetic conditions, such as Down syndrome.
- Exposure to certain chemicals. Some types of leukaemia are more likely to develop when people are exposed to particular chemicals, such as benzene, which is used in the chemical industry and is present in gasoline.
- Smoking. Increases the chance of developing acute myelogenous leukaemia.
- Family history of leukemia. Your chance of developing the illness may be higher if you or your family members have been diagnosed with leukaemia.
The majority of those with established risk factors, meanwhile, do not develop leukaemia. Many leukaemia patients also do not possess any of these risk factors.
Before symptoms appear, a regular blood test by the doctor may identify persistent leukaemia. If this occurs, or if you exhibit symptoms or indications that point to leukaemia, you might have one of the following diagnostic tests:
- Physical exam. Your doctor will examine you for physical indicators of leukaemia, including anemia-related pale skin, swollen lymph nodes, and enlarged liver and spleen.
- Blood tests. Your doctor can examine a sample of your blood to see whether you have abnormally high or low amounts of platelets, red blood cells, or white blood cells, which may indicate leukaemia. Although not all forms of leukaemia cause the leukaemia cells to circulate in the blood, a blood test can nevertheless detect the presence of leukaemia cells. Leukemia cells can occasionally remain in the bone marrow.
- Bone marrow test. A procedure to take a sample of bone marrow from your hipbone may be advised by your doctor. Use of a long, thin needle is used to extract the bone marrow. The sample is delivered to a lab for leukaemia cell detection. Your treatment options may be based on traits that specialised examinations of your leukaemia cells may reveal.