Latest Treatments – Leukemia Treatment in India at Best Cancer Hospital

Leukemia is cancer of the blood cells. Most blood cells form in the bone marrow. In leukemia, cancerous blood cells form and crowd out the healthy blood cells in the bone marrow. The type of leukemia depends on the type of blood cell that has become cancerous. For example, acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a cancer of the lymphoblasts (white blood cells that fight infection). White blood cells are the most common type of blood cell to become cancer. But red blood cells (cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body) and platelets (cells that clot the blood) may also become cancer.

Leukemia occurs most often in adults older than 55 years, and it is the most common cancer in children younger than 15 years.

Leukemia is either acute or chronic. Acute leukemia is a fast-growing cancer that usually gets worse quickly. Chronic leukemia is a slower-growing cancer that gets worse slowly over time. The treatment and prognosis for leukemia depend on the type of blood cell affected and whether the leukemia is acute or chronic. Chemotherapy is often used to treat leukemia.

Symptoms

The symptoms of leukemia depend on the severity of the cancer. However, the general symptoms are fevers & night sweats, bone pain, unusually frequent infections, bleeding from the rectum or gums, bruising of the skin, swelling in the belly, radiating pain in left shoulder, pain in the left of the belly and weight loss with decreased appetite.

Risk Factors

The risk factors of the leukemia will be increased with the usage of tobacco, smoking, more radiation, exposing to certain chemicals and sometimes also past chemotherapy treatment taken for another cancer.

Types 1. Acute Leukemia

The immature blood cells are rapidly increased to cause the acute leukemia. Such excess cells make the production of the healthy blood cells to be impossible by the bone marrow. Since the malignant cells are rapidly progressing and accumulated, immediate treatment should be given. Otherwise, there will be chances of spreading to the other organs of the body, through splitting over into the bloodstream. It is the most common type of leukemia found in the children.

2. Chronic Leukemia

The blood cells, which are relatively mature, but grown abnormally and become excessive, cause the chronic leukemia. It takes a long time like months and years to grow. The chronic forms are to be monitored before attempting to go for the treatment so that the maximum effectiveness of the therapy can be ensured. It generally occurs in older people, however, technically it is possible to attack anyone of any age. There are no symptoms experienced in the beginning. When it gets severe, infections or swollen lymph nodes are experienced.

Diagnosis

There are multiple diagnostic methods to identify the leukemia.

1. Physical Exam
The swollen lymph nodes, liver and spleen are physically checked by the doctor. 2. Spinal Tap

Cerebrospinal fluid is removed in small amounts by the doctor. This is the fluid that fills the spaces found in and around the spinal cord and brain. A thin and long needle is used to remove this fluid taken from the lower spine. The fluid is then
examined in the lab to find the other signs of the problem.

3. Blood tests

Blood tests are conducted in the lab to check the number of red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells from the sample blood. Since the white blood cells are in high level and eventually, the count of hemoglobin and platelets will be decreased in the red blood cells.

Biopsy: In this process, a small tissue with the cancer is removed from the body for the
check up. This process ensures the infected leukemia. Local anesthesia is given to the organ in order to numb that area.

Bone Marrow Biopsy: A needle, which is thick and hollow, is used to remove the bone marrow and bone in small pieces.

Bone Marrow Aspiration: a very thick and hollow needle is used to remove the same small pieces of bone or bone marrow.

4. Chest X-ray

Chest X-ray helps to view the lymph nodes that are swollen along with the other signs of related disease in the chest.

5. Cytogenetics

In this diagnosis process, a sample of bone marrow, lymph nodes and blood are taken to look at its chromosomes of the cells. The variation and abnormalities in these chromosomes can show the type of the leukemia that patient has.

Leukemia Treatment in India at Best Cancer Hospital

1.  Stem Cell Transplant

The stem cell transplant treats the leukemia, using high dose of radiation or drugs and sometimes both of them. The stem cells are to be taken from the donor, when there is a close math of the bone marrow of the donor and patient. It is necessary to take before, as the high dose kills the leukemia cells as well as the normal blood cells. So, right after the chemotherapy, the stem cells collected from the donor will be put back into the blood. The new blood cells are produced by the stem cells within a few weeks of time.

2. Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy targets only the cancer causing cells through the usage of the drugs, still not damaging the healthy cells. Cancer growth inhibitors are one kind of this therapy.

3.     Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the usage of the drugs to destroy the cancer cells. These drugs can be given by the pills or injection to interfere, the cancer cells’ growth ability. However, they also tend to damage the healthy cells to some extent. And these damaged healthier cells can be recovered over a period of time. It may cause the side effects like vomiting, fatigue, hair loss, nausea, increased risk of infection and loss of appetite.

4.     Biological therapy

Biological therapy makes use of the built-in immune system to enable it to fight against the cancer or sometimes also implemented to control the side effects caused from the other cancer treatments. The body’s defenses are boosted up using the drugs or normal body substances to fight against the illness.

5.     Radiation therapy

High doses of radiation like X-rays are used to destroy the cancer cells in this treatment.