Leukemia
Overview
Leukemia is a cancer of blood-forming cells in the bone marrow. Generally leukemia starts when blood cells obtain mutations in their DNA, which causes cells to rapidly grow and divide, and live longer than normal. Eventually, the mutated cells overpower the healthy blood cells. Each year, 29,000 adults and 2,000 children are diagnosed with leukemia. It is also one of the most common cancers among children.
Types of Leukemia
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
- Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
- Other rarer types of leukemia
Risk Factors
The cause of leukemia is usually unknown; however, there are some factors that may increase the risk of a person developing the disease.
- Family history of leukemia
- Smoking
- Exposure to certain chemicals (benzene)
- Exposure to high-levels of radiation
- Previous chemotherapy & radiation therapy
- Genetic diseases
- Certain blood disorders
- Ethnicity (more common in people of European descent)
Symptoms
As a result of leukemic cells growth and outnumbering of normal blood cells, the following symptoms occur:
- Weight loss
- Night sweats
- Headache
- Frequent infections
- Anemia
- Poor healing of small cuts
- Pain & swelling in certain parts of the body
- Easy bleeding or bruising
- Unexplained fevers
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Weakness or loss of muscle control
- Seizures
- Blurred vision
- Balance problems
Tests & Services
Tests help doctors diagnose the type of leukemia, which largely determines patient’s treatment plan.
- Blood tests: to check blood cell counts
- Biopsy: sample from bone marrow is taken and preceded by injection for pain relief
- Aspirate: liquid sample from bone marrow is taken and preceded by injection for pain relief
- Lab examines bone marrow sample under a microscope for leukemia cells
- Chest X-ray
- Lymph node excision
Treatment
There are two categories of treatment for leukemia: to fight the cancer, and to relieve the symptoms of the disease and treatment side effects. Patients and doctors will thoroughly discuss the pros and cons of different treatment options before reaching a decision. Curing the patient of leukemia is the end goal, and is evidenced when blood test & bone marrow biopsy samples are clean of any traces of leukemia.
At CaroMont Health, our blood specialists and hematologist-oncologists are committed to giving patients the very best treatment plans, along with the very best support.
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Stem cell transplant
- Biological drug therapy
