Akeredolu: All You Need To Know About Leukemia

Leukemia is cancer of blood-forming tissues, hindering the body's ability to fight infection.

Leukaemia is cancer of blood-forming tissues, including bone marrow. Many types exist such as acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, acute myeloid leukaemia and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood, characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal blood cells. This uncontrolled growth takes place in your bone marrow, where most of your body’s blood is made. Leukemia cells are usually immature (still developing) white blood cells. The term leukemia comes from the Greek words for “white” (leukos) and “blood” (haima).

Unlike other cancers, leukemia doesn’t generally form a mass (tumor) that shows up in imaging tests, such as X-rays or CT scans.

There are many types of leukemia. Some are more common in children, while others are more common in adults. Treatment depends on the type of leukemia and other factors

Leukemia is the 10th most common cancer in the U.S., accounting for 3.2% of all new cancer cases. Leukemia can affect anyone, but it’s more common among people who are:

Ages 65 to 74.

Assigned male at birth (AMAB).

Caucasian/white.

Causes Of Leukemia

Leukemia starts when the DNA of a single cell in your bone marrow changes (mutates).

Scientists do not know what causes these developing cells to mutate. They’ve been able to identify some common mutations that people diagnosed with different types of leukemia share.

Anyone can develop leukemia. Still, studies have shown that certain factors may increase your risk, including:

1. Previous cancer treatment: Past cancer treatments involving radiation or chemotherapy may increase the likelihood you’ll develop some types of leukemia.
2. Smoking: If you have a history of smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke, you’re at increased risk of developing acute myelogenous leukemia.
3. Exposure to industrial chemicals: Benzene and formaldehyde are known cancer-causing chemicals found in building materials and household chemicals. Benzene is used to make plastics, rubbers, dyes, pesticides, drugs and detergents. Formaldehyde is in building materials and household products such as soaps, shampoos and cleaning products.
4. Certain genetic disorders: Genetic disorders, such as neurofibromatosis, Klinefelter syndrome, Schwachman-Diamond syndrome and Down syndrome, may increase your risk.
5. Family history of leukemia: Research suggests that some types of leukemia may run in families. In most cases, however, having a relative with leukemia doesn’t mean that you or another family member will also develop leukemia. Tell your healthcare provider if you or a family member has a genetic condition. They may recommend genetic testing to assess your risk.

Symptoms

Generally, it requires a medical diagnosis to detect leukemia.

However, symptoms depend, in part, on the type of leukemia. For instance, if you have a chronic form of leukemia, you may not have noticeable symptoms in the early stages.

Common signs and symptoms of leukemia include: 

Fatigue, tiring easily.

Fever or night sweats.

Frequent infections.

Shortness of breath.

Pale skin.

Unexplained weight loss.

Bone/joint pain or tenderness.

Pain or full feeling under your ribs on the left side.

Swollen lymph nodes in your neck, underarm, groin or stomach, an enlarged spleen or liver.

Bruising and bleeding easily, including nosebleeds, bleeding gums, a rash that looks like tiny red spots in skin (petechiae) or purplish/darkened skin patches.

Many patients with slow-growing types of leukaemia don't have symptoms. Rapidly growing types of leukaemia may cause symptoms that include fatigue, weight loss, frequent infections and easy bleeding or bruising.

People may experience:

Pain areas: in the bones or joints

Whole body: dizziness, fatigue, fever, or loss of appetite.

Treatments

Treatment depends on severity.

Treatment is highly variable. For slow-growing leukaemias, treatment may include monitoring. For aggressive leukaemias, treatment includes chemotherapy that's sometimes followed by radiation and stem-cell transplant.

There isn’t a cure for leukemia, but this doesn’t mean some people don’t achieve long-term remission. Being cured of leukemia means that the cancer’s gone, it’s not coming back and no more treatment is needed — but this is hard to know for sure with leukemia.