Some Things That Cause Leukemia
Leukemia is an aggressive, blood-borne type of cancer that generally begins in the bone marrow or the bloodstream. Bone marrow makes new blood cells for the body. Leukemia occurs due to a malfunctioning of bone cell production. It generally affects the bone marrow of infants, children and adults, though it is more common in old people over the younger age group.
The bone marrow is responsible for the production of blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. When the bone marrow is affected, there is an immediate increase in blood cell activity. The problem is that because the bone marrow produces more blood cells than it can use, it starts producing abnormal cells and clots. If the abnormal cells become too large, they can multiply and spread to other parts of the body. The body then begins to suffer from anemia, or poor blood clotting, and there is an increase in the size of the blood vessels. Learn more about how people with hemofilia are treated.
Bone marrow cancer is different from other types of cancer due to the fact that it does not show any symptoms. It generally begins with symptoms that occur around the time of blood transfusions, infections, tumors or trauma.
Bone marrow is very delicate and even a simple scratch can cause significant damage to it. A major reason for the leukemia being diagnosed is if it fails to respond to treatment or if it spreads to another part of the body.
Since the bone marrow has been damaged, the body cannot produce the needed amount of white blood cells and a person suffering from leukemia will have trouble fighting infections. There are certain factors that can cause leukemia to develop. These include genetic predisposition, inherited problems in the immune system, excessive use of steroids or chemotherapy or radiation treatments.
Leukemia often shows itself in the form of bone marrow cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. In such cases, the symptoms of leukemia may include:
– Blood tests – You should have your lymph nodes tested by your doctor. They will then tell you how much time you have to live for and whether you are in need of a transplant. Leukemia symptoms also include loss of weight, nausea and fever, weakness and fatigue, as well as an increase in red blood cell count.
– Bone marrow testing – If your doctor suspects leukemia in your bone marrow, then he or she will test your blood to determine what type of leukemia it is. If the disease is indeed leukemia, chemotherapy is administered. This may be done through the use of drugs and intravenous fluids.
– Radiation Therapy – If the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, radiation therapy is given. This method of treating leukemia has several advantages. For one, it stops the spread of the cancer cells as it destroys all cells involved in the leukemia process.
– Chemotherapy and bone marrow chemotherapy – In leukemia, the leukemia is treated with chemicals that are injected into the bone marrow. The purpose of this is to kill all cells present in the marrow. Chemotherapy uses chemotherapy drugs to kill cancer cells in the bone marrow, thus preventing them from growing and spreading.
– Antibiotic therapy – When the leukemia is localized to a bone marrow or the part of the body where there is a high rate of growth, the leukemia is treated with antibiotics. Sometimes, radiation or chemotherapy is also administered to kill leukemia cells. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy, although effective, may cause damage to the bone marrow if administered over a long period of time.
– Radiation therapy and surgery – Sometimes, leukemia are treated by surgery. This is usually recommended after chemo.
Chemotherapy can be given through the use of drugs and radiation. Chemotherapy is used for people who have not responded well to other forms of treatment. The drugs used in chemotherapy can either be injected directly into the blood stream or taken orally. Radiation therapy is used only for people with more severe forms of the disease and it is given through a radiation machine.