Leukemia is cancer that affects your blood or bone marrow. Each year, more than 61,000 people are diagnosed with this type of cancer, and it causes more than 22,800 deaths. And depending on which kind of leukemia you’re diagnosed with, it can either worsen rapidly or over a long period of time.
Leukemia is a cancer that affects people both old and young. It most often affects those age 55 and older – but it’s also the most common cancer in kids age 15 and younger. That’s why it’s so important to understand and know the facts about leukemia – all of which you can learn with an online search.
The following are the important facts about leukemia.
Types of Leukemia
Leukemia occurs when some blood cells within the body experience mutations in their DNA. Those mutations cause changes and abnormalities, which cause the affected blood cells to grow and divide more rapidly. As these cancerous cells continue to develop, they can overtake your healthy cells, decreasing the number of healthy white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.
While leukemia is caused by the same mutated cells in every case, there are two different types of this cancer. The type is determined by how quickly your cancer is progressing and which types of cells are being affected. You can develop one of the two following types:
- Acute leukemia, which affects immature blood cells and multiples quickly. This is the more aggressive type of leukemia.
- Chronic leukemia, which affects mature blood cells and multiples more slowly. This type of leukemia can go unnoticed for years.
Additionally, your leukemia can be classified even further. Doctors will specify your type of leukemia by pinpointing which kind of white blood cells it primarily affects. These types include:
- Lymphocytic leukemia, which affects the lymphoid cells or the lymphatic system.
- Myelogenous leukemia, which affects the myeloid cells that product red blood cells, white blood cells,and platelet-producing cells.
Once you’ve seen a doctor and received an official diagnosis from your doctor, you’ll be able to determine what exact kind of leukemia you have.
Signs and Symptoms of Leukemia
The key to getting a leukemia diagnosis is notifying your doctor of any signs or symptoms you may be experiencing. But, in order to do that, you’ll need to know what the symptoms of this kind of cancer are.
Depending on the type of leukemia, symptoms will vary. In some cases, symptoms will appear suddenly and be noticeable. In other cases, symptoms may not appear right away. You may live with small, subtle changes to your health for some time without realizing anything is wrong.
All of the following can be signs or symptoms of different types of leukemia:
- Nausea.
- Flu-like symptoms.
- A fever.
- Chills or night sweats.
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Bone pain.
- Tiredness or fatigue.
- Poor blood clotting, which is seen through bruising and slow wound healing.
- Frequent infections.
- Anemia, or a low red blood cell count.
Because all of these symptoms can also be symptoms of other health conditions, it’s important to see a doctor if you’re experiencing them. Your doctor can do the proper testing to rule out other health concerns and give you an official diagnosis.
How Leukemia is Treated
Once you’ve been diagnosed with leukemia, your doctor will be able to take the next step: treating this cancer. As mentioned above, leukemia can either progress rapidly or slowly. That’s why your doctor will tailor a specific treatment plan for you based on your health needs, your leukemia type, and what treatment options may have the best outcome.
There are a few different ways leukemia can be treated:
- Radiation therapy, which destroys leukemia cells with rays like X-rays. It can help leukemia’s effects, like an enlarged liver or spleen, and it can also treat pain that’s connected to bone damage as a result of leukemia.
- Chemotherapy, which is a combination of several different drugs given on a regimented schedule. These medications work to destroy cancerous cells or make those cells more vulnerable to other treatment options.
- Targeted therapy, which are drugs that can be used along with chemotherapy and other common leukemia treatments. These medications directly attack leukemia cells only, which helps prevent damage to healthy cells while targeting cancerous cells.
- Stem cell transplantation, which infuses healthy stem cells that can form blood into the body. Stem cells can be donated from a matched donor, or they may be able to be used from the patient themselves.
These leukemia treatments can be used individually or in combination to deliver effective results. Leukemia can be deadly, but if you pay close attention to potential signs and symptoms, you can get a diagnosis as early as possible. And that can lead to more successful treatment options, if you take action.