Best Cancer Hospital in India for Advanced Leukemia Blood Cancer Treatment

Cancer occurs when there is uncontrolled abnormal cell growth and development. It disturbs the normal life span of cells wherein they are formed, mature, carry out their intended function, die, and are replaced by new cells which are constantly regenerated in the body to maintain normal cellular function. Cancer represents the disturbance of this process.

  

Leukaemia is cancer of the white blood cells. The symptoms of leukaemia include:

* Breathlessness

* Having repeated infections over a short space of time

* Pale skin

* Tiredness

In acute leukaemia, the condition progresses at a rapid and aggressive pace, and treatment needs to be administered immediately.

Bone marrow

Bone marrow is a spongy material that is found inside the bones, and it produces all of the blood cells. It also produces vital cells called stem cells that can create other specialised cells that carry out essential functions. These specialised cells are of three types:

* Red blood cells which carry oxygen around the body

* White blood cells which help fight infection

* Platelets which help stop bleeding

Acute leukaemia prevents the affected bone marrow from producing stem cells that mature into adult blood cells. Instead it releases numerous immature blood cells called blast cells. The immature white blood cells begin to rapidly disrupt the normal balance of cells in the blood, limiting the presence of red blood cells or platelet cells in the body. This can lead to tiredness and other symptoms of anaemia, and also increase risk of excessive bleeding. The patient also becomes more vulnerable to infection as the white blood cells are not properly formed and thus ineffective in fighting bacteria and viruses.

Types of acute leukaemia

There are two main types of white blood cells classified according to the type of white blood cells that are affected by cancer:

* Lymphocytes which are mostly used to fight viral infections

* Myeloid cells which fight bacterial infections defend the body against parasites and prevent the spread of tissue damage

The two main types of acute leukaemia are:

* Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, which is cancer of the lymphocytes

* Acute myeloid leukaemia, which is cancer of the myeloid cells

Acute myeloid leukaemia

It is more common in older people, especially when over 50 years of age, and more common in males than females, though it is not clear why. The causes of acute leukaemia are uncertain, but known risk factors include:

* Exposure to high levels of radiation

* Exposure to benzene, a chemical that is used in manufacturing and is also found in cigarettes

The lack of healthy blood cells in the blood supply causes most of the symptoms of acute leukaemia, which usually begin slowly before rapidly escalating in severity as the number of blast cells in the blood increases.

Outlook

The outlook for people with AML depends on the sub-type of AML, with some subtypes being more challenging to treat than others. The cure rate thus varies, and some sub-types have a 75 per cent cure rate, while others have a 20 per cent cure rate. The outlook also favours younger people as compared to older people. The treatment usually includes a combination of chemotherapy and radiation, or a bone marrow transplant in some cases.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

ALL is the most common type of cancer found in children, though it is uncommon on an overall basis. Approximately one in every 2,000 children will develop ALL. The majority of cases develop in the age group of two to five year olds, and 85 per cent develop in children below the age of 15.

Outlook

The outlook for children with ALL is optimistic, as almost all of them will achieve a remission from their symptoms. 85 per cent of children will be completely cured, whereas only 40 per cent of adults will be completely cured.

Treatment

Treatment for AML involves two stages:

* Induction: The aim of the initial stage of treatment is to kill the leukaemia cells in the bone marrow, restore the blood to proper working order and resolve any symptoms that may be present.

* Consolidation: This stage aims to kill any remaining leukaemia cells that may be present in the central nervous system.

Treatment for ALL involves three stages:

* Induction

* Consolidation

* Maintenance, which involves taking regular doses of chemotherapy tablets to prevent the leukaemia returning. This seems to be the most effective stage.

Other treatments

The other treatments that are used in some circumstances are:

* Radiotherapy

* Stem cell transplant

* Targeted therapies

Blood Cancer Symptoms & Treatment - Blood Cancer Treatment In India

Blood Cancer Treatment

Cancerous formation can attack any organic system of the human physiology. As part of blood cancer, the rapidly multiplying cancerous cells are found attacking the different aspects of the circulatory system. Besides blood and the lymphatic system; the bone marrow can also be the focus of attack.

Types of Leukaemia :

The Leukaemia can be grouped based on how quickly the disease develops and gets worse and thus divided into two types : Acute Leukaemia : the rapid increase of immature blood cells is known as acute leukaemia. This accumulation of excessive immature blood cells hinders the reproduction of healthy blood cells by the bone marrow resulting into the stage of blood cancer. This form of leukaemia occurs in children and young adults mainly. This rapid reproduction therefore requires immediate treatment else it spills over into bloodstream and spreads to the other healthy organs of the body. This is most severe form of blood cancer. Chronic Leukaemia : The excessive formulation of comparatively mature, but still abnormal blood cells in human body is characterised as chronic leukaemia. These cells reproduces at much higher speed than normal cells which results into formulation of many immature blood cells in the blood. It comparative affects the old age people than the young. The chronic leukaemia at times is monitored for before prescribing the treatment. The chronic type of leukaemia can easily be diagnosed during routine medical check up.

Symptoms of Blood Cancer :

In the case of blood cancer the bone marrow is damaged, which results into lack of blood platelets. These blood platelets are important for the process of blood clotting therefore in the patients suffering from blood cancer becoming bruised; bleeding excessively or developing pinprick bleeds are common features. Other main symptoms of the disease include : These symptoms include fever, chills, night sweats. Headaches Vomiting Loss of muscle control Swollen or bleeding gums Enlarged liver Infections frequently Pain in the bones Swollen tonsils Paleness Extreme weight loss The different stages of blood cancer Depends on the rate of metastasis. There are different yards sticks to distinguish blood cancer into different stages according to the symptoms of prognosis and rate of metastasis. Four different phases of chronic leukemia. The first phase is marked by an enlarged presence of lymph nodes. This happens owing to the spurt in the count of lymphocytes. The risk level at this stage is intermediate because at this stage of prognosis, the cancer is yet to spread and affect other physical organs. The second stage is marked by the enlarged presence of spleen as well as liver; in addition to that of the lymph nodes. If not both the organs, at least one of them apart from lymph nodes is affected at the second stage. There is a massive swing in the growth of lymphocytes. The risk level is still moderate. The next stage or the third stage is marked by the development of anemia. The aforementioned organs are still likely to remain swollen. In general two or more organs are likely to be affected at the third stage of cancerous development.

Treatment of Blood Cancer :

The choice of treatment depends mainly on the following factors: The type of leukemia (acute or chronic) Patient's age Whether leukemia cells were found in your cerebrospinal fluid Blood cancer is rather a cluster of cancers developed in the blood cells and therefore the patients with leukaemia requires special treatment. The special cancer centres can only meet those special needs. The treatment of blood cancer is a complete program which the patients have to follow in order to achieve best results. These include : Chemotherapy : This is the first method to destroy those leukaemic cells by the usage of anti cancer drugs. Interferon therapy : This is effective to slow down the rate of reproduction of the leukaemic cells and helps the immune system to build sufficient anti- leukaemia activity. Radiation therapy : This therapy is effective to kill cancer cells with the process of exposure to high-energy radiations. Stem Cell Transplantation : This procedure is required in order to enable treatment with high doses of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Surgery :  The surgery is performed for the removal of an enlarged spleen or to install a venous access device to give medications and withdraw blood samples.