Routine Blood Tests can identify Leukaemia before symptoms are seen. In case symptoms have already been observed, the doctor will determine its presence through swollen lymph nodes, spleen or liver. A complete blood count will also be necessary to identify, as a higher count of White Blood Cells and a lower count of other cells is observed in the case of Leukaemia. A tissue sample is taken from the hip bone to look for cancer cells in Bone Marrow Aspiration and Biopsy which helps confirm Leukaemia and identify its type.
There are several risks involved in the treatment of Leukaemia. The main risk involved in a Bone Marrow Transplant is Graft-versus-Host disease in which the donor cells start to attack those of the recipient and hence causes problems in relation to immunity. In addition to this, there is a chance of Graft rejection in which the donor stem cells do not function effectively in the recipient and fail to differentiate into blood cells. This would lead to thrombocytopenia and anaemia.
In case of Targeted therapy, Biological therapy and Chemotherapy, there are chances that normal cells are damaged during treatment. There are side effects of Chemotherapy such as swelling, hair fall, weight gain and diarrhoea.
After a bone marrow transplant, the patient is monitored by the doctor for signs of graft rejection. A medication for GVHD is given to prevent it from occurring. Antifungals, antivirals and antibiotics are also given in order to prevent all sorts of infections. Regular blood tests are conducted in order to check if blood counts are back to normal and to check the functioning of the donor’s stem cells in the recipient. The patient may require blood transfusions in case of too much blood loss or slow recovery.
After a chemotherapy or radiation therapy, thee patient is required to take the suitable medication prescribed and regular visits to the doctor are necessary.
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MBBS, MD, DM - Hematologist
MBBS , MD( General Medicine) , DM(Clinical Haematology) - Hematologist
MBBS, MD - Hematologist
Routine Blood Tests can identify Leukaemia before symptoms are seen. In case symptoms have already been observed, the doctor will determine its presence through swollen lymph nodes, spleen or liver. A complete blood count will also be necessary to identify, as a higher count of White Blood Cells and a lower count of other cells is observed in the case of Leukaemia. A tissue sample is taken from the hip bone to look for cancer cells in Bone Marrow Aspiration and Biopsy which helps confirm Leukaemia and identify its type.
There are several risks involved in the treatment of Leukaemia. The main risk involved in a Bone Marrow Transplant is Graft-versus-Host disease in which the donor cells start to attack those of the recipient and hence causes problems in relation to immunity. In addition to this, there is a chance of Graft rejection in which the donor stem cells do not function effectively in the recipient and fail to differentiate into blood cells. This would lead to thrombocytopenia and anaemia.
In case of Targeted therapy, Biological therapy and Chemotherapy, there are chances that normal cells are damaged during treatment. There are side effects of Chemotherapy such as swelling, hair fall, weight gain and diarrhoea.
After a bone marrow transplant, the patient is monitored by the doctor for signs of graft rejection. A medication for GVHD is given to prevent it from occurring. Antifungals, antivirals and antibiotics are also given in order to prevent all sorts of infections. Regular blood tests are conducted in order to check if blood counts are back to normal and to check the functioning of the donor’s stem cells in the recipient. The patient may require blood transfusions in case of too much blood loss or slow recovery.
After a chemotherapy or radiation therapy, thee patient is required to take the suitable medication prescribed and regular visits to the doctor are necessary.
Blood cancer is a collective term used to refer to a variety of cancers that attack the blood, bone marrow or lymphatic system. In this form of cancer, rapidly multiplying cancerous cells attack the various parts of the circulatory system. All kinds of blood cells including RBCs, WBCs and platelets may be attacked.
In some cases, blood cancer can be asymptomatic and be discovered only after irregularities are observed in a routine blood test and further testing is done to find out the cause. However, in many cases, blood cancer has several symptoms, some of which are listed below.
Unexplained loss of weight
Chronic fatigue
Easy bruising or spontaneous bleeding (due to deficiency of platelets)
Enlarged lymph nodes (generally visible in the neck or groin region)
Weakness or breathlessness
Abdominal pain or discomfort
Frequent infections that do not respond to standard medications
Fever and night sweats
Pain in joints and bones
Itchy skin
Blood cancer has several types. However, some of the more common ones are –
Lymphoma – Cancer that starts in the lymph nodes and then may spread to other parts of the body.
Leukaemia – A group of cancers that start in the bone marrow and result in abnormally high counts of White Blood Cells. This type of cancer may be either acute or chronic.
Myeloma – A cancer affecting plasma cells in the bone marrow.
Some other rare types of blood cancer include Essential Thrombocythaemia, Polycythaemia Vera, Myelofibrosis and Myelodysplastic Syndromes.
Blood cancer is generally treated by a haemato-oncologist. These specialists are well versed in the field of blood (haematology) as well as the study of cancer (oncology).
There are two main types of lymphoma –
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma- The rarest form of the diseases, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is characterized by the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells. These cells are special cells which can be generally observed under a microscope.
Non- Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – This is the most common form of Lymphoma with almost 61 different subtypes. It involves the absence of Reed-Sternberg cells and can be either slow-growing or spread rapidly.
Treatment options for Lymphoma vary greatly depending on the type and spread of the disease. However, some of the commonly used treatment options include-
Surgery – Surgery is generally used to remove the tumour if the cancer is localised
Radioimmunotherapy – This delivers high-powered radiation directly to the cancerous cells to destroy them.
Chemotherapy – A treatment method using aggressive drugs to kill cancer cells.
Stem-cell transplant – This can restore damaged bone marrow as a result of the cancer or the treatment procedures.
Biologic Therapy- This innovative treatment method stimulates the immune system to attack the cancer cells by injecting living microorganisms into the body.
Antibody Therapy – Synthetic antibodies are injected into the blood in order to fight the cancer cells.
Radiation Therapy – High-dose radiation used to eliminate cancerous cells from small areas.
If the cancer is in the lower stages, these treatment options are often enough to control or treat the disease.
Cure rates and survival rates of leukaemia depend on various factors including age, sex, stage of the cancer and overall condition of the patient. Cancer in young people is often easier to treat than in cancer affecting people over the age of sixty. Similarly, leukaemia is easier to manage if caught early.
All things considered, the average five-year survival rate of leukaemia in adults is about 25 percent. However, this rises to about 70 percent in children.
Treatment options for myeloma can vary depending on the type of the disease and how far it has spread. Over the years, many new promising treatment options have helped improve the prognosis of patients affected by this condition.
Some of the most common treatment options used are-
A chemotherapy drug to fight and kill the cancer cells
A steroid that suppresses inflammation
A stem cell transplant with chemotherapy
Radiotherapy
Immunomodulatory drugs to activate certain kinds of immune cells and kill myeloma cells.
HDAC inhibitors to cause cancer cell death
A bone marrow transplant may be beneficial in the treatment of Lymphoma or Leukaemia. The cost of such a procedure varies depending on the hospital and doctor involved. The cost of the procedure starts from INR 15,00,000 and may go up to INR 40,00,000.
Treatment will depend on the type of blood cancer you have, your age, how fast the cancer is progressing, and whether cancer has spread to other parts of your body. Many types of blood cancers are now highly treatable because treatments for blood cancer have vastly improved over the last several decades.
Lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma are the 3 main types of blood cancers with rates of occurrences of 64%, 25%, and 11% respectively.
Leukemia is the most dangerous blood cancer. It has an estimated death rate of 6.3 per 100,000 men and women per year.