Leukaemia

Leukaemia is a cancer of blood-forming cells. Blood cells are made in bone marrow, the spongy part in the centre of the bone. They then pass from the bone marrow into the blood stream and lymph system. White blood cells are involved in various functions of the immune system (the body's defence system), which protects the body from infections. As these leukaemia cells take over, the patient develops symptoms such as excessive bruising and breathlessness. This can cause a shortage of red blood cells ( anaemia ), severe bleeding (because normal blood clotting doesn't happen) or serious infection (as a result of weakened immune system ). These cells fill up the bone marrow and prevent it from making healthy white blood cells. For example, a lack of red blood cells leads to anaemia, which can result in breathlessness and fatigue. The cancer was to be treated using chemotherapy - drugs which kill cancer cells. Acute leukaemia attacks immature bone marrow cells, and has a much more sudden onset. It is the rarer form of leukaemia and tends to afflict children and younger people more often than older people. The most common childhood leukaemia is acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) but the most common leukaemia overall is chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).

Many people feel understandably shocked and upset when told they have acute leukaemia. In leukaemia, some blood cells do not grow properly, but remain within the bone marrow and continue to reproduce in an uncontrolled way. He came out in bruises all over his leg which we thought was very strange. About 7,000 people are diagnosed with leukaemia each year in the UK, representing about three per cent of all cancers. They also live too long, so over a period of time they replace the fully-functioning cells (white, red and platelets ) in the bone marrow . As is the case with most cancers, nobody knows what causes white cells to become cancerous. But someone is more likely to develop leukaemia if they are exposed to radiation or to some chemicals like benzene. Leukaemia is broadly classified into two forms, acute and chronic. Chronic leukaemia is the slower of the two, involving more mature types of cell. Leukaemia is the most common cancer in children, causing around one third of childhood cancers, but there are far more cases in adults.

Causes of Leukaemia

The comman Causes of Leukaemia :

• Other blood disorders, such as aplastic anaemia, a rare condition where the bone marrow fails to produce blood cells correctly
• Smoking
• Certain genetic conditions, such as Down's syndrome
• Drugs used to treat certain cancers,
• Contact with a chemical called benzene, one of the chemicals in petrol and a solvent used in the rubber and plastics industry
• A weakened immune system - this may be a result of drugs that suppress the immune system (such as those used for organ transplants), high doses of radiation (such as in radiotherapy for another cancer), or diseases that affect the immune system (such as HIV)

Symptoms of Leukaemia

Some comman Symptoms of Leukaemia :

• Abdominal pain, due to an enlarged spleen or liver.
• Bleeding that takes a long time to stop.
• Swollen lymph glands (glands in the neck, groin and under the arms).
• Weakness and tiredness.
• Regular infections and high temperatures.
• Pain in the bones and joints.
• Breathlessness.
• Abnormal bleeding from the gums and into the skin;
• Increased bruising (due to platelet reduction).
• Weight loss .
• Night sweats and fevers .

Treatment of Leukaemia

• Form of vitamin A used to treat a type of acute myeloid leukaemia. It is usually taken in tablets with chemotherapy.
• Treatment for chronic leukaemia can include chemotherapy, steroids, growth factors, radiotherapy, biological therapy (for example, interferon alpha), and intensive treatments.
• Cancer-killing drugs, usually given intravenously, but sometimes given as tablets.
• People who have certain types of acute myeloid leukaemia will be treated with a special form of vitamin A called ATRA (all transretinoic acid). Given alongside chemotherapy , it can reduce the symptoms of leukaemia very quickly
• Chronic myeloid leukaemia has a median survival rate of five years, but some people will survive over 10 years if they respond to interferon treatment. Some younger patients with this condition (usually under 45 years of age) are cured with a bone marrow transplant.
• A protein normally produced by the body and has anti-cancer effects. It is given as an injection.
• All blood cells grow from 'stem cells'. High doses of chemotherapy can damage stem cells, so stem cells are removed from the bone marrow before higher doses of chemotherapy are given. The stem cells are transplanted back after the chemotherapy has finished.

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