Leukemia: Leukemia is a type of cancer that arises in the bone marrow and results in a high number of abnormal white blood cells leukemia can also be referred to as the cancer of the white blood cells. The white blood cells are a vital part of the immune system and are mostly produced in the bone marrow although some types are produced in the lymph nodes, spleen, and thymus gland. The white blood cells are potent infection fighters protecting the body from invasion by bacteria viruses, fungi, foreign substances as well as abnormal cells.
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The white blood cell normally grows and is divided in an orderly manner as needed by the body but in leukemia abnormal white blood cells are produced from the bone marrow which doesn't function like normal white blood cells. The abnormal white blood cells also divide too quickly eventually crowding out normal cells. Leukemia is classified into a variety of large groups based on how fast it progresses acute or chronic and the type of cells involved lymphocytic or myelogenous, in acute leukemia the abnormal cells are immature and they increase rapidly making the bone marrow unable to produce healthy cells. The disease worsens quickly and therefore immediate and aggressive treatment is required these types are the most common form in children with chronic leukemia.
The abnormal cells are mature but
they are abnormal white blood cells, these blood cells build up more slowly and
take months or years to progress. These types mostly occur in older people but
can also occur in any age group lymphocytic leukemia affects the lymphoid cells
that form the lymphatic tissue that makes up the immune system. Myelogenous
leukemia affects the myeloid cells; these cells form the red blood cell, white
blood cells, and platelets. The specific type of leukemia is acute lymphocytic,
acute myelogenous, chronic lymphocytic, and chronic myelogenous.
Leukemia the most common type in children is acute lymphoblastic leukemia or AOL in adults. About 90% of cases of leukemia are diagnosed with the most common being the acute myelogenous leukemia or AML and the chronic lymphocytic leukemia or CLL other rare types exist such as hairy cell leukemia and other leukemia can spread to other parts of the body such as the lungs, heart, kidneys causes leukemia happens when some blood cells acquire mutations in their DNA. This causes the blood cells to grow and divide quickly and to continue living when normal cells would die. These abnormal cells continue to accumulate and stop the healthy blood cells from growing and functioning normally.
Diagnosis and treatment the
following tests may be performed a physical exam where the doctor will look for
physical signs such as enlargement of the liver or spleen and swollen lymph
nodes blood tests to look for abnormal levels of red or white blood cells or
platelets this may indicate leukemia bone marrow test where a sample of the
bone marrow is removed and sent to the laboratory to test for leukemia cells. This
sample can identify the type of leukemia and its growth rate biopsy of other
organs such as the liver and the spleen can show if cancer has spread, treatment
the type of leukemia age your general health, and whether cancer has spread to
other parts of the body will determine the treatment option.
Treatment options include radiation
therapy which uses powerful energy beams such as x-rays to kill the cancer cell, and chemotherapy which involves using medication injected intravenously or taken
orally to kill the cancer cell. Stem cell transplantation where the diseased
bone marrow is replaced with healthy ones either from a donor as an allologous
transplantation or you may be able to use your own as an allologous transplantation
targeted therapies that use medication to target specific pathways or
vulnerabilities present in the cancer cell may be effective immunotherapy that
uses treatments that help the autoimmune system recognize an attack from Kimia
cells.
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