What is Leukemia? What Causes Leukemia?

Introduction

Leukemia is a Greek word. Its meanings are “white blood”. Leukemia is a type of cancer. When there is access of these abnormal white blood cells, we call it Leukemia.

Leukemia is a disease that begins in the organs those makes blood in the supple, soft part of the bone (the inner soft part of bone) known as bone marrow and in the lymph structure. This disease can crop up in adults as well as children. Leukemia is a type of cancer in which abnormal and undeveloped white blood cells are formed. These undeveloped cells are known as leukocytes. In some of leukemia patients, these leukocytes or white blood cells are so abundant that blood gains whitish dashes. The myth behind the leukocytes or white cells is that when these white blood cells are increased and production of normal cells is decreased the ability to fight against diseases and infection diminishes.

When these leukemic cells are increased, the construction of red blood cells (oxygen carrying cells) platelets (blood clotting cells) and normal leukocytes declines. If this white blood cells production is left untreated, these cells will eventually assault the remaining parts of body, like brain, liver, lymph nodes and spinal cord.

Leukemia is of four types. These types are lymphocytic, chronic, myelogenous and acute. In chronic leukemia, development is slow with respect to acute leukemia that is very fast growing. The mainstream of acute leukemia’s victim is children. Leukemia cells never full-grow, as it should be like other healthy cells. These white blood cells do not pass away. These cells have tendency to reproduce and build up in body.

Although this is, science age but researchers are still unaware with the root cause of leukemia. However, the determination to know about the exact reasons is growing day by day in scientists. This is known by studies that leukemia is more common if males than females. However, this is still to identified why this disease is more in males and why this disease occurs is one person and not in other one.

The patients suffering from chronic leukemia have some known causes. However, the cancer cause remains unknown. Information about developing cells in normal human is the responsibility of chromosomes. Chromosomes are made of or part of DNA. DNA approximately carries all type of information that our cells do. In past few years, researchers have gone through a big understanding that how certain changes in DNA affect bone marrow cells to turn into leukemic cells.

DNA packets known as genes, contains directives to control when our cells grow and divide. Oncogenes are the type of gens that promote cell division. Same like tumor suppressor genes slow down the process of cell division and cause cells life to end at specific time.

Researchers have sturdy doubts that possible reasons are chemicals, viruses, radiations, and genetic factor is too there.

• Radiation This expression is used different types of energy like X rays and ultraviolet. Radiation can devastate our cells. Many of researches believe that disclosure to radiation may be the reason of leukemia.

• Genetics Leukemia has more cases in some of families. This advocates that leukemia may be hereditary in some of its forms.

• Viruses Some scientist studies told that viral infection might be the cause in some types of leukemia. The link between leukemia and virus is found in some cases but not proven predominantly.

• Chemicals Carcinogens are some forms of chemicals. Carcinogens are the thing that can be the reason of cancer. Chemicals damage cells and substances in cells.

Types of leukemia

Leukemia has many of its types. Researches take its types in two ways one is how quickly the disease builds up and gets nastiest. Leukemia may be chronic or lymphatic. In acute leukemia, blood cells are divided and cannot perform their normal functions. The cell division increases rapidly the disease becomes nasty quickly.

On the other hand, in chronic leukemia blood cells are somehow mature more than the cells condition in acute leukemia. In chronic leukemia, these cells perform their natural function to some extent. These cells are not entirely normal.

Lymphocytic and myelogenous start from two different types of cells. Lymphocytic leukemia builds up from lymphocytes present in the bone marrow. Mylogenous leukemia starts from monocyte white blood cells or granulicyte white blood cells.

Leukemia Symptoms

The first symbol of leukemia is being unfocused in majority of cases. Many of different more signs may occur with other types of cancer and medical circumstances. Keep in mind that leukemia symbols may vary with the type of disease. The general symptoms of leukemia are mentioned here.

• Fatigue

• Digestive Bleeding

• Loss of appetite

• Swollen spleen

• Eye sores

• Skin sores

• Chills

• anemia

• depression Abnormal bleeding

• abdominal pain

• extreme staining

• fever

• weakness

• bloated irritation, lymph nodes

• joints or bone pain

• weight loss

• fever

• exhaustion

Decreased Exercise patience

Mostly Chronic leukemia patients do not tell about symptom at the time of findings. Chronic leukemia remains hidden and only be known if someone goes for blood test.

Leukemia Prevention

There is no way to remain away from leukemia. Prevention of leukemia has no solid methods to take into place because the researches are still trying to identify to the reasons of leukemia. Researches say that leukemia prevention means you have healthy body and by avoiding some fetors, you can remain away from leukemia to some extent. Cause of leukemia is unknown but the reasons that have risk factors of leukemia are playing big role.

Some of factors like genetics or Down syndrome are such aspect that no body can change. However, the factors that we have control over are like good diet, exercise and clean environment.

Leukemia Treatment

The leukemia terms points to a number of cancers disease that grow up in the blood forming cells of the bone marrow. Leukemia itself is not a single disease. The treatment of each acute and chronic forms leukemia have many subtype and they very in their response to treatment too.

Children suffering leukemia needs to be cared especially in pediatric cancer centers. These centers medical professional staff exclusive purpose is to uniquely tackle with the concern of children.

Leukemia Treatment

Leukemia is not a single disease. Instead, the term leukemia refers to a number of related cancers that start in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow. There are both acute and chronic forms of leukemia, each with many subtypes that vary in their response to treatment. In addition, children with leukemia have special needs that are best for care in pediatric cancer centers. Such centers have trained medical professionals whose sole purpose is to address the unique concerns of children.

Leukemia treatment is different for every patient because of the nature of leukemia. Generally, five types of treatment strategies are there for leukemia patients:

1. Chemotherapy to kill the leukemia affected cells with heavy anti cancer drugs.
2. Installation of venous access device to give medications and extraction of blood samples.
3. Radiation therapy is used to destroy cancer cells by exposure to high energy.
4. Interferon therapy, this is to strengthen the immune system of body and to reduce leukemia activity, by slowing down the production of leukemia cells.
5. Stem cell transplantation (SCT) is used to treat with high dosage of
   chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Oncologists apply these medications in different of combinations. Drawbacks and advantages are there with each method. It is usually advisable to get second opinion before getting into a specific program.

World’s Famous treatment centers for Leukemia

If you are leukemia patient always try to have good communication with your specialist as well as treatment team. Your team woks combine to do best for your care. Hers is the list of world-renowned leukemia treatment canters.

1. University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
2. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
3. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
4. Wistar Institute Cancer Center, Philadelphia
5. Medical University of South Carolina Department of Radiation Oncology
6. Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre Pakistan
7. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis

Diagnosis, age and overall health condition will affect on your treatment choices. The aspiration of treatment is to destroy leukemia cells. During treatment, healthy cells may damage also as a side affect of treatment. Find out side affects information from you specialist, as these are variable for every patient. Questioning to your health care team may lead to minimize your problems and providing you the most suitable health care.