Compared to previous decades, cancer patients are living longer and healthier lives these days. In the case of a few specific cancers, the patient may be able to overcome them with the help of proper medication.
However, Leukemia’s treatment isn’t that much developed in India. Almost 70,000 people report being suffering from leukemia every year. Though the patients are usually above 55, the disease also affects teens below the age of 15. Let us know the important facts about the disease and the scope of leukemia treatment.
Some essential facts about Leukemia
Leukemia is also known by other names like “Blood cancer”, “Haematologic cancer”. As evident from its name, Leukemia is the cancer of bone marrow and blood. The disease causes problems in the creation of red blood cells in the body.
- Three types of blood cancers exist:
- Leukemia - Here the bone marrow is affected, producing abnormal white blood cells.
- Myeloma - The body’s lymphatic system gets affected.
- Lymphoma - The immune system gets weakened due to plasma cells getting influenced.
India ranks 3rd on the list of most Leukemia cases, just below the US and China. Many patients don’t show any symptoms initially. According to cancer specialists, men are at higher risk of Leukemia than women.
Symptoms and stages of Leukemia
The most commonly observed symptoms are:
- Fatigue and weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Presence of swollen nodes in neck, armpits, groin
- Shortness of breath
- Frequent infections
- Joint pain or bone pain, accompanied by tenderness
Just like other cancers, Leukemia is characterized by multiple stages. They are:
- Stage 1: The lymph nodes tend to enlarge due to the increased amount of lymphocytes. The risk is minimal here with no other observable symptoms.
- Stage 2: The lymph, liver, and spleen get affected by this stage. Lymphocytes are observed to be growing at a fast pace.
- Stage 3: Development of Anemia is observed along with enlargement of liver and spleen.
- Stage 4: The blood platelet count gets severely low, resulting in anemia in most cases. Cancer starts spreading to other body parts.
Causes of Leukemia
Scientists and researchers haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact cause of Leukemia. It is believed to be a disease caused by a combination of factors.
- Genetic reasons: Mutations in the blood cells is one of the most common reasons. The genetic material in each cell is responsible for giving instructions to divide and grow and die at a fixed time. However, in the mutated cells, the division and growth continue endlessly. Such huge production of blood cells overpowers the presence of white blood cells and platelets. Abnormalities arise from such situations leading to symptoms of Leukemia. Genetic disorders such as Down’s syndrome increases the risk of blood cancer.
- Family history of the disease: This is a common factor involved in Leukemia. If your family has had any occurrence of this illness, the risk gets high.
- Chemotherapy: Getting treated by chemotherapy due to any previous cancer can lead to Leukemia later on.
- Smoking and lifestyle habits.
Diagnosis and treatment
Patients tend to have a common question - “Is Leukemia curable?” The answer to this would be - it depends on the specific situation. Recent statistics show that approximately 61.4% of leukemia patients survive for more than 5 years.
Factors affecting survival rates:
- Age of the patient
- Type of Leukemia diagnosed
- The extent of bone damage and progression of cancer
- Body’s response to the various treatments
Just like other cancers, an early diagnosis can help in treating cancer in a better manner. There are several methods for diagnosing Leukemia:
- An initial physical exam is conducted for checking the symptoms such as swelling in the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. Other symptoms like loss of appetite, frequent infections, etc. are also noted.
- Blood tests are very common for detecting leukemia. For types such as acute lymphocytic leukemia, bone marrow test follows the blood test.
- A Biopsy is conducted to determine the type of leukemia, the extent of its progression, growth rate, etc.
Leukemia Treatment typically includes:
- Immunotherapy - The process boosts your immune system to attack the cancerous cells. Since they tend to hide from the attacks, the therapy isn’t a guaranteed treatment.
- Stem cell transplant - Here, the infected bone marrow is replaced by a bone marrow transplant, which brings new stem cells to produce healthy bone marrow. The patient undergoes radiation therapy or chemotherapy for destroying the affected bone marrow before the transplant. You need to have a donor or your stem cells preserved for this transplant.
- Radiation therapy - X-rays or other high-energy radiation beams are used to target and destroy cancerous cells. The therapy might be applied to a specific area or the entire body, depending on the requirement.
- Chemotherapy - This is a form of chemical treatment where the patient receives drugs, either in pill form or via injections. It is a majorly used treatment option.
- By Genetic Engineering - This is a treatment method that has been newly developed and is still being heavily researched. The fighter T-cells are taken from the body, engineered by CAR-T therapy, then re-entered in the body for fighting cancer.
Author’s note
People getting affected by this disease start panicking and lack proper information, which further delays the required treatment. If you are a leukemia patient, the safest option would be to consult a leukemia cancer doctor in Delhi NCR. Dr. Manish Singhal is one of the reliable leukemia cancer doctors in Noida.
Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic ravaging the lives of many cancer patients in India, its best cancer treatment doctor in Delhi NCR, Dr. Manish Singhal, has worked hard to develop an improved cancer treatment and management system for patients. Due to the new situation, new challenges arise and new solutions are required. As preventive measures, Dr. Singhal and his team provide Covid-19-specific cancer treatment and management like online video consulting and chemotherapy sessions at home. If any symptoms are spotted, then do not hesitate to contact a doctor immediately and let the cancer care team know before it's too late, and get cured of leukemia and live a long and healthy life.
