Leukemia As a Serious Disease - Research Paper Example

Leukemia What is Leukemia? Leukemia is a form of cancer which originates in the blood forming tissues. In order to comprehend the development of this cancer, it is customary to analyze the process of normal blood cell formation. How does the disease develop? Blood cells generally form from the cells that are contained in the bone marrow, which is a soft material inside the bones. These cells are known as the stem cells. Different stem cells modify into various types of blood cells. Different types of blood cells have their own respective tasks. Different types of the white blood cells serve the purpose of fighting infection whereas the red blood cells are the fundamental source of oxygen to all tissues in the body. Platelets are another kind of blood cells that help control bleeding by forming blood clots. Stem cells form all three kinds of blood cells as per the requirement of body. Older cells get damaged with time and expire to make room for new cells. Bone marrow in the bones of an individual who suffers from leukemia produces abnormal white blood cells which are termed as the leukemia cells. Leukemia cells continue to live far beyond the time that normal blood cells expire. As a result of that, they grow larger in number as compared to the usual white blood cells, platelets and the red blood cells which does not allow the normal blood cells to function as they normally do. Types of Leukemia: Leukemia can be classified into different types depending upon the speed of development of the disease and its aggravation. There are two basic types of leukemia, namely the chronic leukemia and the acute leukemia. Chronic leukemia is the type of leukemia that takes some time to get worse whereas the acute leukemia is that sort of leukemia that worsens quite quickly. 1. Chronic Leukemia: When the disease is in the initial stages, leukemia cells are able to do considerable amount of work of the normal white blood cells. As a result of this, the victims of disease may not discover any symptoms in the start. In a vast majority of cases, chronic leukemia gets diagnosed by the doctor in a routine checkup without the indication of any symptoms. As some time passes, leukemia gets worse. This happens as the blood contains an increased number of leukemia cells. This is the time when symptoms start to show up. The patient develops infections or swollen lymph nodes. These symptoms are mild in the start and with time, get worse. 2. Acute Leukemia: Acute leukemia cells are not able to function as the normal white blood cells. In this type of disease, the leukemia cells quickly increase in number. Accordingly, the acute leukemia rapidly aggravates. Prognosis of Leukemia: A disease’s prognosis is an overview of its development and life expectancy. This is estimated considering the historic medical data. Prognosis for the different kinds of leukemia is discussed below: 1. Prognosis for chronic leukemia: Symptoms of chronic leukemia take quite some time to show up. In the initial stages of the disease, the patient may experience night sweats, swollen spleen, fatigue, and lack of energy (Pilgrim). More middle aged adults are affected by this kind of leukemia as compared to children. Prognosis of chronic leukemia depends upon the level of aggravation of the disease. Bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy are commonly employed as the methods of treatment for the chronic leukemia. In the early stages of the disease, patients can expect to live for 98 months. Patients who have been suffering from this disease for quite some time should expect a life of 65 months more, whereas the ones who are in the last stage of the disease can expect a life of 42 months (Pilgrim). 2. Prognosis of acute leukemia: Acute leukemia is a more severe type of leukemia because the disease aggravates faster. This type of leukemia commonly occurs in adults. 20 to 40 per cent of the patients of acute leukemia continue to live up to a minimum of 60 months if the disease gets detected at an early stage (Pilgrim). The disease is most cured through chemotherapy. Life expectancy is extremely low for the sexagenarians who acquire acute leukemia. Diagnosis of Leukemia: In a vast majority of cases, leukemia is diagnosed by doctors in the routine blood test reports. Upon diagnosis of the disease, the doctor tends to identify the root cause of the problem. The patient may be asked about the medical history of the family. The doctor asks the patient to get one or several of the tests discussed mentioned below: 1. Physical exam: In this exam, the doctor examines spleen, liver or the swollen lymph nodes in the patient’s body. 2. Blood tests: In the blood test, complete blood count is examined in the lab report to determine the number of all three kinds of blood cells, namely the red blood cells, white blood cells and the platelets in the blood. If the person has leukemia, the number of white blood cells would be found far in excess of other kinds of cells. The disease may decrease the number of platelets and level of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. 3. Biopsy: In this, the tissue is removed by the doctor in search of cancer cells. A biopsy is an objective way of determination of leukemia cells in the bone marrow. The doctor makes use of local anesthesia in order to numb the area before taking the sample, so that the patient may not feel any pain. A small portion of bone marrow is extracted from any large bone, which is later examined by a pathologist with the help of a microscope. Treatment of Leukemia: There are several options of treatment that the patients can avail. Some of the options are chemotherapy, watchful waiting, biological therapy, targeted therapy, transplant of stem cell and radiation therapy (MedicineNet 6). Doctors recommend patients with large spleen to undergo the surgery. Quite often, a patient avails a combination of several treatments. Several factors play a decisive role in the patient’s selection of the method of treatment that include but are not limited to the patient’s age, type of leukemia and the presence of leukemia cells in the patient’s cerebrospinal fluid. In addition to that, the patient’s general health is also considered by the doctor. 1. Treatment of acute leukemia: Acute leukemia needs immediate treatment. The treatment is directed at destroying the symptoms of leukemia and making them leave the body. This process is known as remission. Additional therapy, which is generally referred to as the maintenance or consolidation therapy may be required to prevent the relapse. People suffering from acute leukemia can generally be cured. 2. Treatment of chronic leukemia: In order to treat the chronic leukemia, patients generally go for the maintenance therapy. This enables them to remiss the cancer. However, chemotherapy is often not a suitable option for treating the chronic leukemia. In some cases, stem cell transplants prove useful for the patient. Doctors generally refer the patients suffering from leukemia to specialists that include medical oncologists, hematologists as well as radiation oncologists. Childhood leukemia is treated by hematologists and pediatric oncologists. Some Facts about Leukemia: The Illinois State Cancer Registry estimated the diagnosis of as many as 1720 new leukemia cases in Illionois by 2008, of which, 950 cases would be those of men and in 770 cases, the victims would be women (“Leukemia (Blood Cancer”). Death of 1000 Illinoisans was also estimated in the same years because of leukemia. Works Cited: “Leukemia (Blood Cancer).” Illinois Department of Public Health. n.d. Web. 31 May 2011. . MedicineNet. “Leukemia.” 2011. Web. 31 May 2011. . Pilgrim, Gray. “Leukemia Prognosis.” 2011. Web. 31 May 2011. . Read More