Know everything about Blood Cancer

Know everything about Blood Cancer
INTRODUCTION
Cancer is a disease where there is an uncontrolled division of abnormal
cancerous cells in the body. When this out of control division of cells takes
place in the blood cells, it is referred to as Blood Cancer. The human blood
consists of three types of cells: Red blood cells (Erythrocytes), White blood
cells (leukocytes) and Platelets (Thrombocytes). Each blood cell has a
specialized function. Such as the Red blood cell carries oxygen to different
parts of our body, the white blood cells fight off diseases, and the platelets
help the blood clot. All blood cells are derived from stem cells that are
formed in the bone marrow. These stem cells further evolve and turn into
specialized cells such as those stated above. Problems in this process of
evolution are the leading cause of all types of blood cancers. These
abnormal blood cells stop working correctly, multiply rapidly and crowd out
the healthy blood cells and thus, the blood is unable to carry out its
functions.
SYMPTOMS
The Blood Cancer is usually challenging to diagnose as its symptoms can
be somewhat vague. A person who has Blood Cancer may experience
symptoms such as lumps or swellings, repeated infections, bone or joint
pain, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, bruising and bleeding easily, itchy
skin and drenching night sweat. Thus, if you feel like you are experiencing
any of these symptoms or a combination of these symptoms, you may
need to visit your doctor to get it checked.
CAUSES
The main reason for blood cancer is the faulty mutation of the DNA. These
are factors out of our control. However, studies have shown that some
factors may contribute to a higher risk. These include age, sex, ethnicity
and family history, exposure to radiation or harmful chemicals. These risk
factors may also differ from the types of blood cancer. According to
researchers, it is seen that Myeloma is more likely to occur in male adults
of African-Caribbean backgrounds.
TYPES
There are over a hundred types of individual blood cancer; however, there
are three main types of blood cancer. These are leukaemia, lymphoma,
and Myeloma.
1. Leukaemia
Leukaemia usually occurs in people aged above fifty-five; however, it is
also the most common type of blood cancer found in patients below the
age of fifteen years. Leukaemia is the cancer of white blood cells. When
the stem cells in the bone marrow become deformed and cancerous, they
grow and divide abnormally to cause the crowding of blood cells.
Eventually, healthy blood cells die out. However, the cancerous blood cells
last a long time damaging even the healthy cells due to crowding.
Leukaemia in itself has several types of subdivisions such as chronic and
acute leukaemia, lymphocytic and myelogenous leukaemia, acute
lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL), Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and
acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML).
2. Lymphoma
In lymphoma, the white blood cell becomes cancerous and can further
carry its cancerous tendency to different parts of the body. It can occur to
anyone at any age, but it is more common for people in the age group of
fifteen to twenty-four. Lymphoma is the blood cancer of lymph nodes and
the lymphatic system. Its symptoms often include the enlargement of lymph
nodes; however, they do not go back to their original size as they would
after an infection. There are two subtypes of lymphoma that are Hodgkin's
lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. As the lymphatic system is the
germ-terminating system in our body, patients of lymphoma are often more
vulnerable to various infections while being treated.
3. Myeloma
Myeloma is a type of blood cancer stemming from the Plasma cells.
Plasma cells are the white blood cells found in the bone marrow. They are
a part of our immune system and help fight off infections. Myeloma begins
when mutations in DNA cause abnormal plasma cells to arise. These
multiple and start producing paraprotein, a type of antibody that serves no
useful function in the body. A trait that sets Myeloma apart is that like other
cancers; there is no clumping of cells or the formation of tumours. The
problems related to Myeloma arise due to excessive build-up of plasma
cells in the bone marrow and also the presence of the paraprotein in the
blood. Myeloma is a type of blood cancer that affects multiple areas of the
body, thus, owing to its name of 'multiple' myeloma. It mostly affects bones
of the spine, skull, pelvis, ribcage, long bones of arms and legs and areas
adjoining the shoulders and hips. The two main subtypes of Myeloma
include Hyperdiploid (HMM) and hypodiploid.
TREATMENT
Blood cancer is mainly treated through a mixture of chemotherapy and
stem cell transplant. Chemotherapy primarily consists of a procedure
wherein drugs are used to help stop the growth and division of cancerous
cells. Stem cell transplant is seen as a last resort. Before a stem cell
transplant, a person must go through vigorous chemotherapy. For a stem
cell transplant, the patent must obtain a donor whose bone marrow
matches that of the patient and then surgery is carried through to carry
forward the process.
To receive the best treatment and to reach recovery, cancer must be
diagnosed at an early stage. The chances of survival in blood cancer
decrease as the stems grow. Patients who have recovered must go
through regular check-ups to ensure that there is no lapse. Awareness and
early prevention is undoubtedly the best solution.
Are you looking for ways to treat Blood Cancer? Visit the best ​cancer
hospital in Noida​, now.