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Symptoms and treatment of leukemia blood cancer Considered leukemia one of the most types of human cancer, and the most common, an...

Symptoms and treatment of leukemia

blood cancer

Considered leukemia one of the most types of human cancer, and the most common, and suggest some sources that the first case was discovered for this disease has been by one of the doctors Europeans in the nineteenth century, and called the name of the disease: leukemia, also called name: leukemia , and this word Greek origin, it is composed of two words Aonaneacan, namely: leukos means white, and haima means blood, these two words mean The total leukemia.

Leukemia begins with an injury to the bone marrow. It is the tissue found in most of the bones of the body, and it is the place where various blood cells are made. Such as white and red blood cells and platelets. When developing leukemia, the bone marrow begins to produce large numbers of abnormal white blood cells, which are called cancer cells. These cells do not perform the function of normal cells, and they also grow rapidly, and also do not stop growing when necessary. Over time, cancer cells begin crowding out the normal white blood cells , and this may lead to serious complications. Such as anemia, bleeding and frequent infections. Cancer cells can also spread to infect lymph nodes or nearby organs, causing pain and swelling.

There are several types of leukemia, they are divided according to the speed of disease progression, and according to the type of cells that make up it, and thus the types are:

Acute lymphocytic leukemia: It is the most common type in children, and it can affect adults as well.

Acute myeloid leukemia: It is a common type of leukemia that affects children and adults, and is the most common type in adults.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia: It is the most common type of chronic lymphoma, and the patient may feel well for years without resorting to any treatment.

Chronic myeloid leukemia: This type mainly affects adults, and the patient may not feel any symptoms for months or years before entering a stage where cancer cells grow very quickly.

It refers to the lymphoid type. It infects the tissue or lymphocytes that make up the immune system . Myeloid affects the myeloid cells that produce red and white blood cells and the cells that produce platelets .

Factors that increase the chance of developing leukemia

There are several factors that may increase the chance of developing one of the types of blood cancer, and among these factors:

Undergoing treatment for previous cancer : As people who underwent certain types of chemotherapy or radiation therapy to treat another cancer are more likely than others to develop certain types of leukemia .

Genetic imbalances : The presence of these imbalances may play an important role in developing leukemia, the most important of which is Down syndrome.

Exposure to certain chemicals : It was found that exposure to various chemicals, such as benzene, which is found in fuels and used in several industries, is associated with an increase in the incidence of several types of blood cancer .

Smoking : Cigarette smoking increases the chance of developing acute myeloid leukemia.

A family history of leukemia .

Symptoms of leukemia

Symptoms of leukemia vary from one type to another, but there are common symptoms between them, including:

Fatigue and general fatigue; Because of the low number of red blood cells and platelets.

High temperature .

Bleeding from the nose, gums, or anus, as well as frequent bruising on the body, and heavy menstrual bleeding.

The appearance of swollen glands in the neck, armpit or groin.

Shortness of breath .

Pain in the joints, muscles and bones.

Fever and night sweats.

The occurrence of frequent and serious infections.

Loss of appetite and weight.

Diagnosis of blood cancer

Blood cancer is diagnosed by following several steps, the most important of which are:

Clinical examination : in which the physical signs of leukemia are examined . Pale skin due to anemia, or swollen lymph nodes in various parts of the body, or an enlarged liver and spleen.

Blood test : This examination shows any imbalances in the numbers of white blood cells or platelets, which raises suspicion of leukemia.

Bone marrow examination : This examination is performed by taking a biopsy of the bone marrow (usually the pelvic bone) with a long and thin needle, where the sample is searched for cancer cells and several specialized tests are performed on it to know specific characteristics of these cells to help determine the type of treatment.

Leukemia treatment

Determining the type of treatment for leukemia depends on several factors. Such as the patient’s age, general health, and the type of cancer that he has had, and it also depends on whether or not the disease has spread elsewhere. The common types of treatment for leukemia are as follows:

Chemotherapy : It is considered the most important form of treatment for blood cancer, as chemical compounds are used in it to kill cancer cells. Depending on the type of cancer, the patient is given either one type of medicine or a combination medicine, and it is in the form of tablets taken orally or intravenously.

Biological therapy : This type aims to help the body's immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.

Targeted therapy : It uses drugs that attack specific weaknesses of cancer cells. For example, the drug (imatinib) stops the action of a specific protein inside cancer cells in chronic myeloid leukemia, and this helps control the disease.

Radiation therapy : X-rays and other types of high-energy radiation are used in this type to destroy cancer cells and stop their growth.

Stem cell therapy : It is a process during which the diseased bone marrow is replaced by another healthy one, and before undergoing this treatment the patient receives large doses of chemotherapy or radiation to destroy the diseased bone marrow, and then the patient is transferred to the patient stem cells that make up blood cells to rebuild the bone marrow.