Leukemia

You may be surprised to find that leukemia isnt just one type of cancer but actually a category of multiple cancers that affect our blood cells. Both children and adults can be diagnosed with these cancers, which cause our bone marrow to produce abnormal white blood cells. These abnormal cells, called leukemic cells, can accumulate in the bone marrow and blood, crowding out any healthy white blood cells. The white blood cells exist to fight infection and disease. The leukemic cells also harm our platelets, which protects us from bleeding out, and the red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout our bodies. Leukemia can progress either rapidly (acutely) or slowly (chronically). Depending on its progression and the type of cell it affects, a leukemia diagnosis can fall into four broad categories. Regardless of the type, infection, anemia and bleeding are common effects of this cancer.

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QHow is leukemia diagnosed?

3 Answers

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A Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) answered
Diagnosing leukemia usually begins with a medical history, physical examination and blood test. During the physical exam, your doctor may check for signs of pale skin, bruising, swollen lymph nodes or an enlarged spleen. A complete blood count (CBC) is one of several common tests for leukemia. It measures the amount of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in the blood.

Your care team may also use other leukemia detection tests to plan and monitor your treatment:

Biopsy: Removal of a small amount of tissue to determine the type of leukemia, the growth rate of the tumor and whether the disease has spread.

Bone marrow biopsy: Removal of a sample of bone marrow.

Lymph node biopsy: Removal of all or part of a lymph node.

Lumbar puncture (spinal tap): Removal of cerebrospinal fluid from the spinal cavity in the lower back to determine the extent of the disease.

Flow cytometry: A test which passes cancerous cells (stained with a light-sensitive dye) under a laser beam to determine whether the cells contain a normal or abnormal amount of DNA, and the relative rate at which a tumor is growing.

Liver function test: A group of blood tests used to measure the amounts of certain enzymes released by the liver in response to damage or disease. An abnormal liver function test may indicate the presence of a disease like leukemia.

Imaging tests: Tests that use imaging technologies to produce pictures of the inside of the body.

Leukemia detection tests can provide information about the extent of leukemia in the body, and the presence of infections or other problems. The following are some types of detection tests:

X-ray

CT scan

PET/CT scan

MRI

Ultrasound

2D echocardiogram (sometimes)

Pulmonary function test (sometimes)
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QHow does leukemia affect the body?

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A Baptist Health South Florida answered

Leukemia affects the body by disrupting the normal balance of cells in the blood and their ability to do their jobs. Reduced levels of white blood cells, which normally defend the body from infection, can lead to higher chances of catching secondary diseases. Reduced levels of platelets, the cells that cause blood to clot, lead to more frequent bruises and nosebleeds. If the cancerous cells spread to the brain, headaches and nausea can result from tissues around the brain and spinal cord becoming irritated and inflamed. Finally, painful bones can result from the cancerous cells spreading into the bone marrow.

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QWhat is leukemia?

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A Jumo Health answered

Leukemia is a problem with white blood cells. White blood cells are made in the bone marrow. In leukemia, there’s a problem with the way white blood cells are made. The bone marrow makes faulty white blood cells, or leukemia cells, and doesn’t know when to stop making them. Eventually, the leukemia cells crowd out the normal blood cells and spill out into the bloodstream. From the bloodstream, the leukemia cells can travel all over the body.

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QWhat can I do if I'm feeling overwhelmed by my leukemia diagnosis?

1 Answer

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A Jumo Health answered

If you are feeling overwhelmed by your leukemia diagnosis, remember that you’re not alone. Many people all around the world are going through the same things as you. Treatment means you might need to stay in the hospital sometimes. It can be hard being away from your family and friends, but they can come and visit you. It’s normal to feel scared, worried, sad and angry at times. It really helps to share your feelings with someone you trust. You can talk to your family, friends, doctors and nurses. They are on your side.
QHow is chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) diagnosed?

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A Sigma Nursing answered

A variety of procedures including blood and genetic tests are used to diagnose chronic myelogenous leukemia. Blood tests called complete blood counts reveal abnormal numbers of white blood cells. A test called bone marrow aspiration uses a needle to remove marrow from the hipbone for analysis. Genetic tests take these blood and bone marrow samples and look for the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome and the gene it produces.

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QHow does chronic myelogenous leukemia affect the body?

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A UCLA Health answered

Chronic myelogenous leukemia disrupts the normal balance of blood cells in the body, triggering a variety of secondary effects. Over time, cancer cells begin to crowd out healthy cells in the blood; a reduced count of red blood cells can lead to anemia, in which you feel tired and worn out all the time. Reduced number of platelets leads to less blood clotting and easier bleeding and bruising. Higher levels of diseased white blood cells means there are fewer healthy white blood cells to defend the body from infection, leading to higher chances of catching other diseases. Diseased cells can also build up in the spleen, causing the spleen to swell up dramatically, leading to a feeling of being full all the time as it presses against the stomach.

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QWhat is chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)?

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A Sigma Nursing answered

Chronic myelogenous leukemia is a cancer that mostly affects the blood and bone marrow-the tissue that makes blood cells. Most common in older adults and rare in children—the disease is commonly abbreviated as CML—and is also called chronic myeloid leukemia and chronic granulocytic leukemia. It targets a specific group of blood cells called granulocytes-a category of white blood cells. CML's chronic nature means that it spreads slowly through the body at first.

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QWhat causes chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)?

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A Jumo Health answered

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), also called chronic myeloid leukemia, is caused by faulty instructions inside the blood stem cells, which causes them to not work properly. Every cell in the body has a set of instructions to make everything it needs. The instructions are divided into books called chromosomes and each page in a book is called a gene.

Each stem cell has a switch that controls when it divides and what sort of blood cell it divides into. In CML, the gene for making switches has partly been swapped with a gene from another chromosome. That means the instructions for making switches are wrong. When the switch is broken, stem cells make too many of the wrong type of white blood cell.

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QWhat are common side effects of chronic myelogenous leukemia treatments?

1 Answer

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A Jumo Health answered
Treatments for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), also called chronic myeloid leukemia, can have unwanted reactions called side effects. Although they may be different depending on the treatment, possible side effects include:

nausea

vomiting

tiredness

hair loss

diarrhea

risk of infection

swelling of the hands and feet

mouth sores

problems with blood clotting

These are not all the possible side effects. Doctors and nurses will explain what side effects a person might experience from treatment.
QHow is chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) treated?

1 Answer

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A Jumo Health answered
Treatment options for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), also called chronic myeloid leukemia, include the following:

Targeted therapy. This type of medicine helps stop stem cells from making too many of the wrong type of white blood cells.

Chemotherapy. This is strong medicine to help destroy the wrong type of white blood cells. There are different types of chemotherapy medicines. Sometimes a combination of these is used.

Stem cell transplant. This is where faulty stem cells are replaced with new ones. The new stem cells help make normal, healthy white blood cells.

People undergoing treatment will need to have regular check-ups to see if the medicines are helping, as well as to check for side effects.