Blood Cancer: Its Symptoms and Treatment

Blood Cancer

Overview

A vital fluid of the human body is blood. It circulates throughout the body to provide all the essential substances like oxygen and other nutrients to the cells and helps to remove the waste from the cells. It is unimaginable to think of the human body working without blood.

When there is an irregular change in the blood(form, shape, or count ) a person can not survive without its cure. One of the deadliest diseases of blood is blood cancer. Millions of people died due to this disease because it is difficult to cure it. Here we will discuss Blood Cancer: Its Symptoms and Treatment.

Blood Cancer

The other name for a blood cancer is hematologic cancer. Some other groups of blood cancer are leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. The infection in the blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic system or variation causes blood cancer.

Leukemia

This type of cancer occurs in bone marrow and blood cells. That results in abnormal growth and not fully developed cells in a high number. These cells are called blasts or leukemia cells. It can be chronic or acute and further divided based on the white blood cell type affected. Lymphoid(lymphocytic) or myeloid(myelogenous).
 

Risk Factors

1. Genetic factors: The change, genetic abnormalities, or chromosomal mutation are the risk factors that can cause leukemia, and some genetic inheritance of Down syndrome can increase the risk.

2. Radiation Exposure: Exposure to some radiation like radiation therapy of previous cancer or exposure to high ionizing radiation.

3. Chemical Exposure: Exposure to some chemicals like benzene or formaldehyde may increase the risk of leukemia.

Lymphoma

This type of blood cancer or lymph cancer develops from lymphocytes a type of white blood cell(lymphatic system) a vital part of the immune system. It occurs in lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, bone marrow, and other lymphoid tissue. There are two main categories of lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL) 90% of cases and Hodgkin lymphoma(HL) 10% of cases.

Risk Factors

1. Weak Immune System: Due to some immunosuppressive therapy after organ transplantation or autoimmune disease.

2. Age: It is more common in older people due to weak immune systems but it can occur at any age.

3. Viral Infection: Epstein-Barr virus9EBV), Human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus(HTLV), Human herpesvirus-8(HHV-8), and hepatitis C virus (HCV), are some infections that can increase the risk of lymphoma.

4. Family History: Having cancer in a family history can increase the risk.

Myeloma

Myeloma also known as multiple myeloma or plasma cell myeloma is a plasma cell cancer a type of white blood cell which is responsible for producing antibodies to fight against infection. The main characteristic of myeloma is that it abnormally proliferates malignant plasma cells in bone marrow, leading to bone damage and weakening of immune function.

Risk Factors

1. Gender: Men have more risk than women of having myeloma.

2. Age: Older people have more risk as risk increases with age.

3. Race and Ethnicity: African Americans have a higher risk of developing myeloma than other ethnic backgrounds.

4. Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS): It is a condition due to the presence of abnormal protein in the blood. A person with MGUS has a higher risk of myeloma.

5. Family History: having myeloma in a family history or other plasma cell disorder may increase the risk of myeloma.

Symptom

1. Fatigue: Continuous weakness or tiredness.

2. Enlarged Lymph Nodes: Enlargement of the neck, armpit, or groin lymph nodes.

3. Bone Pain: Tenderness and pain in the back, ribs, and pelvic region.

4. Abdominal Pain or Swelling: Due to enlarged lymph nodes and organs swelling and abdominal pain occur.

5. Unexpected Weight Loss: frequent weight loss in a short span.

6. Anemia: Due to a shortage in red blood count leads to short breathing and weakness.

7. Kidney Dysfunction: The accumulation of protein in the blood cause impairs the function of the kidney leading to swelling and urine output.

8. Hypercalcemia: Frequent urination, excess thirst, nausea, and constipation are some symptoms of an increase of calcium in the blood.

Treatment

1. Chemotherapy: Use of chemical or drug to kill or retard the growth of cancerous cells.

2. Radiation Therapy: To kill the cancerous cell by using a high-energy beam of rays.

3. Immunotherapy: The use of an agent to increase the effect of the body's immune system which can defend the body or recognize to destroy cancer cells.

4. Target Therapy: Drugs that kill only cancerous cells leaving the normal cell.

5. Stem cell Transplantation: The infected or diseased bone marrow cells are replaced with healthy cells.

6. Surgery: When there is no effect of the drug on cancer cells then it is permanently removed the infected part surgically.

7. Proteosome Inhibitory: Drugs are used to inhibit the action of proteosomes the enzyme used to break down the protein within the cell which causes cell death due to the accumulation of protein in the cell.

            Read More: Skin Cancer: Signs, Symptoms and its Treatment.