Leukemia is a cancer of the blood-forming tissues which includes the lymphatic system and the bone marrow. When the person has leukemia, they suffer from the abnormal production of blood cells. Which are the white blood cells (Leukocytes)? White blood cells are said to be the infection fighters. As our body needs them, they will grow and divide in proper way. However, once the person has leukemia, the bone marrow will produce abnormal cells which will not function properly. Normal cells will then die and will be replaced by new blood cells. On the other hand, the abnormal cells will not easily die but instead will accumulate and occupy more space as fast as they can. Once the abnormal cells occupy the space, there is less room for the normal cells. This is the time that the sufferer will experience some abnormalities and becomes ill.
In general, leukemia is divided into four large groups which can be acute or chronic. Acute leukemia which is also known as Lymphoblastic Leukemia is the most common type of leukemia which usually attacks young children though adults get the disease as well. This usually occurs in adults whose ages are over 65. The survival rates for children are 85% or more while among adults is around 50%. Common among adults whose ages are over 55 is Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Younger adults can get the disease as well and mostly 60% of patients with CLL are men. When treated around 75% of patients survive for over five years but then experts say that this kind of disease is incurable.
Common among adults and men than women is Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. When treated with chemotherapy, 40% of the patients survive for over five years. The fourth group is Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia whose majority of patients are adults and 90% of the patients survive for over 5 years.
The signs & symptoms of leukemia depend on the person with the disease. Some of the leukemia signs and symptoms can be mild for a long period of time until the time that it is diagnosed by the doctor. The symptoms experienced by the patient are the produced by the abnormal blood cells that accumulates in the spinal cord or the brain that causes vomiting and most often headache. Some would find unusual skin rashes, difficulty in seeing and loss of muscle control. Other symptoms are the presence of swollen of the lymph nodes found in the neck, groin and armpit area. Loss of weight is common in leukemia patients because of the loss of appetite because the stomach feels always full most of the time. This is due mainly if the spleen or liver are enlarged. Patient will experience night sweats, chills, tiredness and fever. Headache is a common symptom among patients once the cancerous cells have already occupied the central nervous system.
However, these symptoms may be also due to other illnesses therefore, proper diagnosis of leukemia should be done to confirm the presence of the said illness.
Risk factors are not always associated to the causes of leukemia but then they may clear some misunderstandings regarding the disease. Exposure to energy radiation regardless of whether it is high or low may cause leukemia. Though scientist are still investigating on the viability of this cause, if this is true, how can they apply the right treatment and give the necessary prevention. Experts say that the different causes result in the kind of leukemia the patient has. One cause is the presence of viruses in the body like the HTLV-1 (human T-lymphotropic virus) and the HIV virus or (Human immunodeficiency virus) as well as benzene and petrochemicals. Though very rare, sometimes maternal fetal transmission will result in leukemia, same with alkylating chemotherapy agents, hair dyes and the genes. Some studies show that significant number of people with Down syndrome has high risk of building up leukemia.
Since the various types of leukemia have different reactions to the patients, same goes with the kinds of treatment the type of leukemia needed. This will depend on the state of the health of the patient and the age. To obtain the best leukemia treatments, the patient should get the treatment from the doctors that have experience on the field and should have the right training in the treatment of leukemia. When the treatment shows signs of improvement to the patient, complete remission is everybody’s aspiration. Their aim is for the cancer to go away for five years minimum after the patient received treatment.
A patient that is in remission will still require consolidation therapy which may involve chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant. For patients with acute leukemia, the treatment is done as soon as possible which includes induction therapy. Chemotherapy is involved her and treatment will take place in the hospital.
A patient with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, the treatment should begin as soon as diagnosis has confirmed. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the person should start the treatment as soon as possible. Usually, the patient will be given Gleevec which is a certain drug which works by blocking the cancer gene. Gleevec will stop then leukemia from getting worse however, this medication does not cure leukemia. Other drug that is given to leukemia patient is Sprycel and Tarigna which are orally taken. At present, bone marrow transplant is the present method of curing the patient with CML. Younger patients who had undergone bone marrow transplant will have greater chance of success.
Leukemia patients will require regular check up even if the cancer has gone or in remission. They will have to go through examinations and blood tests. They will even test the bone marrow once in a while. Once the patient responds to the treatment and the patient remains free from the cancer cells, the doctor will decide to lengthen the intervals of the tests.