What is Blood Cancer - Essay Example

"What is Blood Cancer" is a great example of a paper on cancer. Blood cancer is the type of cancer that attacks and damages the blood, bone marrow, or lymphatic system (wiseGEEK, 2012). Blood cancer hinders the production and functioning of blood cells. The normal blood cell development process is disturbed because of the development of other abnormal kind of blood cells, which are cancerous and stop the normal blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) from working properly.

            One crucial treatment is blood transfusion. Since the bone marrow’s ability to produce blood cells is diminished, it calls for the replacement of cells through transfusion. Stem cell transplant provides healthy blood cells to the marrow. Biological therapy and chemotherapy are conducted to attack cancerous cells. Radiation therapy and targeted therapy are also used. Treatments that are used to aid main cancer treatment include medication to counter nausea, antibiotics to fight infections, dietary counseling, dental care to treat oral leukemia, and vaccinations to treat flu and pneumonia. Chiras (2011, p.394) recommends anti-cancer vaccines, which is a new cancer treatment, used to stimulate the body “to produce antibodies and T-cells that attack tumors”. Other recommendations include providing microspheres to the body which are liposomes containing cancer-killing chemicals attached to chemotherapeutic agents. Microspheres deliver a lethal dose to cancer tumors.

            The sooner blood cancer is caught and treated, the better are the survival rates of the patient. If regular medical checkups and follow-ups are done, there are many chances that the cancer is diagnosed in its very early stage. The 5-year survival rate for leukemia is much better today than it was 40 years ago. The survival rate has risen to 50 percent, and even 76 percent for some forms of leukemia (The Survivors Club Interactive Inc., 2012).

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