Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects white blood cells, also called leukocytes, as well as the body’s defense cells. This medical disease in the bone marrow, which is the innerthest part of the blood, is popularly referred to as “blood tetanus”. ‘and spreads through the body through the blood, preventing or hindering the production of red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells, and because of this, there are associated diseases and symptoms such as anemia, infections and bleeding.
Leukemia is a serious disease that requires treatment, which can be treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or bone marrow transplantation. Treatment varies depending on the type of leukemia the person has and its severity, which will also determine whether the person will cure the number.
- Foin of the main types of lymphocytic leukemia and myeloid.
- Which can be classified as acute or chronic.
- But there are other subtypes.
- As shown below:.
The type of leukemia a person can determine through specific tests, which is critical to knowing which treatment is best.
The first symptoms of high blood leukemia followed by scolophones, night sweats and unmarked weight loss, although other symptoms may occur such as:
These symptoms are more common in acute leukemia because as chronic leukemia progresses slowly, it can begin to become asymptomatic without being discovered during a routine haematological exam.
Diagnosis is made by the hematologist or oncologist after observing certain signs and symptoms, and test results such as hematology, myelogram, CT scan, MRI and more precisely, a bone marrow biopsy, in some cases it may be necessary to examine cerebrospinal fluid, called a lumbar puncture, to analyze the fluid covering the central nervous system.
Leukemia can be treated with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, bone marrow transplantation and combination of different treatments, depending on the type of leukemia in the person and the stage at which the disease is located.
In acute leukemia, treatment should begin as soon as possible to combat symptoms and prevent the disease from getting worse. Many cases can be completely cured with treatments indicated by your doctor. In the case of chronic leukemia, the patient may have no symptoms, so it is necessary to cure, although the person can perform a maintenance treatment to prevent the manifestation of symptoms out of life. and keep this type of cancer under control.
Chemotherapy involves the application of specific cancer drugs, which can be injected directly into the vein during hospitalization, this treatment is usually done in cycles, since it is done once a week with a single medicine, a combination of 2 or 3, in some cases, sessions can be done every few weeks or months.
Immunotherapy is a treatment similar to chemotherapy because it involves the application of drugs directly into the vein, but these drugs work differently, and in monoclonal antibodies, which are supports that join cancer cells, allowing the body’s defense system to remove tumor cells, both in the blood and in the bone marrow.
It involves the application of radiation oriented to the brain, brain or other parts of the body, in some cases it can target the whole body as happens before a bone marrow transplant, for example.
Bone marrow transplantation involves removing part of a healthy person’s bone marrow and being compatible with the sick person, and freezes until it can be used at the right time. The ideal time to place the given bone marrow is your doctor’s decision, and this can occur after the completion of chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments. The goal is to replace malignant cells and return to healthy blood cell production.
In some cases, leukemia has a cure, especially when diagnosed early and treatment is done quickly; However, there are cases where the individual’s body is so weak that it is difficult to cure the disease. Bone marrow transplantation may be the cure for leukemia for some people, however, it has some complications and remains an option indicated by doctors for all affected people.
Currently, some patients with acute leukemia achieve a complete remission of the disease and for many years, and many children with acute lymphocytic leukemia can recover, the ideal is to speak with the doctor accompanying the case to find out how many there will be in the next stages. treatment and what to expect.
The causes of leukemia are not quite known, but it is known that there is a certain genetic predisposition that favors the development of this disease, leukemia is not hereditary and in the country from priest to child is not contagious, certain factors that can cause leukemia are exposed to radiation, drug use, smoking, immune factors and certain types of viruses.