Know everything about Blood Cancer

Posted by Rohani ilaj on May 27th, 2019

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.

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