Leukemia Cancer: symptoms, risk factors, types, and treatment

What is leukemia cancer?

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood cells. There are several major categories of blood cells, including red blood cells (red blood cells), white blood cells (leukocytes) and platelets. Generally, leukemia refers to cancer in leukocytes.

Leukocytes are part of your immune system is vital. They protect your body from invasion by bacteria, viruses, and fungi, as well as off abnormal cells and other foreign substances. In leukemia, leukocyte not functioning as normal leukocytes. They can also divide too fast and end up exerting normal cells.

Most leukocytes are produced in the bone marrow, but some types of leukocytes are also made in the lymph nodes, spleen, and thymus gland. Once formed, the leukocytes circulating throughout your body in blood and lymph (a fluid that circulate through the lymphatic system), concentrating on the lymph nodes and spleen.

Risk factors for leukemia cancer

The cause of leukemia is unknown. However, several factors have been identified that can increase your risk. These include:

• the family history of leukemia cancer
• smoking, which increases the risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
• genetic abnormalities such as Down's syndrome
• blood abnormalities, such as myelodysplastic syndrome, sometimes called  "preleukemia "
• previous treatment for cancer with chemotherapy or radiation
• 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, cancerous cells proliferate rapidly. In chronic leukemia, the disease progresses slowly and early symptoms may be very mild.

Leukemia is also classified according to the type of Leukemia that involves cells. cells of myeloid leukemia myelogenous leukemia called. Myeloid cells are immature blood cells that normally become granulocytes or monocytes. Leukemia involving lymphocytes called lymphocytic leukemia. There are four main types of leukemia:

• Leukemia acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)

Leukemia acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) can occur in children and adults. According to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and end results Program of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), approximately 21,000 new cases of AML are diagnosed each year in the United States. This is the most common form of leukemia. The five-year survival rate for AML is 26.9 percent.

• Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) mostly occurs in children. The NCI estimates about 6,000 new cases of ALL who are diagnosed each year. The five-year survival rate for ALL was 68.2 percent.

• Leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) leukemia affecting mostly adults. About 9,000 new cases of CML are diagnosed each year, according to the NCI. The five-year survival rate for CML is 66.9 percent.

• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) most likely to affect people who are aged over 55 years. Very rarely seen in children. According to the NCI, about 20,000 new cases of CLL were diagnosed every year. The five-year survival rate for CLL is 83.2 percent.

Hairy cell leukemia is a very rare subtype of CLL. The name comes from the appearance of lymphocyte cancers under the microscope.

  

What are the symptoms of leukemia?

Symptoms of leukemia include:

• excess sweating, especially at night (called "night sweats")
• fatigue and weakness that does not go away with rest
• weight loss was not intentional
• bone aches and pains
• the lymph nodes that are not pain and swelling (especially in the neck and armpits)
• enlargement of liver or spleen
• red spots on the skin called petechiae
• easy bleeding and bruising easily
• fever or chills
• infection often occurs

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 your body, including:

• the lungs
• the digestive tract
• the heart of the
• Kidney
• the testes

Diagnosing leukemia cancer

Leukemia can be suspected if you have certain risk factors or symptoms. Your doctor will start with a complete history and physical examination, but leukemia cannot be fully diagnosed by physical examination. Instead, doctors will use blood tests, Imaging tests, and biopsies to make a diagnosis.

Test

There are a number of different tests that can be used to diagnose leukemia. A complete blood count to determine the number of red blood cells, leukocytes, and platelets in the blood. See your blood under a microscope can also determine whether the cells have an abnormal appearance.

A tissue biopsy can be taken from bone marrow or lymph nodes to look for evidence of leukemia. These small samples can identify different types of leukemia and the rate of its growth. Biopsies of other organs such as the liver and spleen may show whether cancer has spread.

Staging

Once the leukemia is diagnosed, it would be staged. Staging helps your doctor determine your views.

AML and ALL performed based on how the cancer cells look under a microscope and the cell types involved. All and CLL staged based on the number of WBC at the time of diagnosis. The presence of white blood cells are immature, or myeloblast, in the blood and bone marrow, is also used for stages of AML and CML.

Assessing development

A number of other tests can be used to assess the progression of the disease:

Flow cytometry testing the DNA of cancer cells and determine the pace of its growth.

Liver function tests showed the leukemia cells are influenced or attack the liver.

Lumbar Puncture is done by inserting a thin needle in between the vertebrae of the lower back you. This allows your doctor to collect spinal fluid and determine whether cancer has spread to the central nervous system.

Imaging tests, such as x-rays, ultrasound, and CT scan, help doctors look for damage to other organs caused by leukemia.

Treating leukemia cancer

Leukemia is usually treated by the Hematology oncologists. This is a doctor who specializes in blood disorders and cancer. Treatment depends on the type and stage of cancer. Some forms of leukemia are growing slowly and do not need treatment right away. However, the treatment for leukemia usually involves one or more of the following:

Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill leukemia cells. Depending on the type of leukemia, you can use a single drug or a combination of different drugs.

Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to destroy leukemia cells and inhibits their growth. Radiation can be applied to a particular area or to your entire body.

Stem cell transplant replaces diseased bone marrow with healthy bone marrow, both your own (called autologous transplantation) or from the donor (called the transplant allologous). This handling procedure called a bone marrow transplant.

Biological therapy or immunity using treatments that help your Immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.

Targeted therapy uses drugs that exploit vulnerabilities in cancer cells. For example, imatinib (Gleevec) is a targeted drug commonly used to fight the CML.

   

Long-term outlook

A long-term view for people who suffer from leukemia depends on the type of cancer they have and their stage when diagnosed. The faster leukemia diagnosed and treated, the sooner the better the chance of recovery. Several factors, such as older age, history of blood disorders, and mutation of chromosomes, can affect negatively a negative view.

According to the NCI, the number of leukemia deaths has fallen an average of 1 percent each year from 2005 to 2014. From 2007 to 2013, the survival rate of five years (or percent survive for five years after receiving the diagnosis) is 60.6 percent.

However, it is important to note that these figures include people of all ages and with all forms of leukemia. This is not a prediction of the results for one person. Work with your medical team to treat leukemia. Remember that everyone's situation is different.

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