Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the tissues that form blood, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system. Leukemia leads to the creation of abnormal white blood cells that cannot perform their regular function of fighting infections.
Symptoms of leukemia
The symptoms of leukemia can differ based on the type. Some of the common signs of this disease are weight loss without physical exercise, fever, enlargement of the liver or spleen, pain or tenderness in the bones, feeling fatigued or weak continuously, regular and severe infections, excessive sweating (especially at night), bleeding or bruising easily, swollen lymph nodes, regular nosebleeds, and small, red spots on the skin (petechiae).
Types of leukemia
- Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
AML can affect adults and children. This serious form of leukemia most commonly occurs among adults. - Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
A person can have CLL for a long time without exhibiting any symptoms. This chronic leukemia is most common among adults. - Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
This type of cancer usually occurs among adults. There may be mild or no signs in people with CML until it reaches a stage where the leukemia cells start growing rapidly. - Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
This type of cancer most commonly occurs among young children. The lymphocytes grow rapidly, and the disease may turn fatal within a few months.
Other types of leukemia
Some of the rarer types of leukemia are myelodysplastic syndromes, hairy cell leukemia, and myeloproliferative disorders.
Treatments
- Chemotherapy
Leukemia is most often treated through chemotherapy. This treatment involves the use of chemicals to kill leukemia cells. Based on the type of cancer, patients are given a single medicine or a combination of medications in the form of a pill or direct injection into the vein. - Biological therapy
This therapy involves treatment that boosts the immune system’s ability to identify leukemia cells and attack them. - Targeted therapy
In targeted therapy, patients are given medicines to attack a specific weakness of the cancer cells in the body. For example, those who have chronic myelogenous leukemia are given a medicine called imatinib. This medicine helps keep a check on the disease by stopping the action of a protein in the cancer cells. - Radiation therapy
The growth of leukemia cells can be stopped by attacking the affected cells using X-rays or other high-energy beams. In radiation therapy, a machine is used to direct radiation to specific parts of the body. Radiation may be given in an area that has a group of leukemia cells or all over the body. This type of therapy can be done in preparation for a stem cell transplant. - Stem cell transplant
The diseased bone marrow is replaced with healthy bone marrow in a stem cell transplant. This transplant takes place after the diseased bone marrow is destroyed using radiation therapy or chemotherapy. The bone marrow is then infused with blood-forming stem cells that help in the process of rebuilding. The stem cells used can be from a donor or from the patient themselves.
