All About Leukemia

According to a study conducted by the researchers working at the University of California, Berkley, School of Public health, exposure to X-rays can increase the likelihood of children developing leukemia. The study said that even with just one X-ray, the chances of getting certain types of leukemia increases. This has now made the overall safety of X-rays questionable. Before the study was released the general view was that X-rays are generally safe. The study was a part of the Northern California Childhood Leukemia study and was conducted in 35 counties all over the state of California.

Adults may develop acute myeloid leukemia as they age. This form of leukemia is not common in children. “Myeloid” means the cells originate from the bone marrow or spinal cord. It is rare on people under the age of 40, adults are usually diagnosed at age 65.

Myeloid leukemia is caused mostly by carcinogens, or cancer-causing agents, such as benzene and tobacco smoke. Aging is the most important risk factor. It can also develop in people who have undergone chemotherapy earlier to treat other cancers – making the leukemia a secondary acute myeloid leukemia.

Symptoms include fatigue, fever, recurrent infections, night sweats, weight loss and bleeding. A complete blood count should be done, and check whether the white blood count is high, red blood cell count and platelet count are low – this may be leukemia.

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After a complete blood count, a bone marrow aspiration will be done to see if there are leukemia cells. If the doctor confirms leukemia, more tests will be done to identify the specific type of acute myeloid leukemia, which has eight sub-types.

Chemotherapy may be considered, although it also kills healthy cells, and may cause bleeding. Other options may be antibiotics for infections, transfusion of platelets to control bleeding, red blood cell transfusions for the anemia, bone marrow transplant or stem cell transplant, if available.

While undergoing treatment, the patient will be isolated as much as possible to avoid contracting infections.

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Prevention is a better solution than cure. There are numerous cases where cancer is diagnosed in patients that are already at a terminal stage, where even aggressive treatments can no longer help the patient. A regular medical check up helps in early diagnosis. Simple illnesses and discomforts should not be ignored, as these may lead to, or are already caused by a more serious disease. Persistent headaches, joint pains and bleeding should be taken seriously. Some patients are either embarrassed to consult with a doctor, or are avoiding medical check-up costs. Others are just in denial that something could go wrong.

Seek medical advice. Early detection and treatment saves lives.

Cancer, just by the sound of its name, gives you this feeling of negativity, stress and fear. The patient is not the only one experiencing this, but the family, close friends, doctors and other health care providers feel down and frustrated as well. It is important for these people to seek a support system to cope with such emotional challenges. Counseling services are being provided for patients and their families by the hospital. There are also services offered by organizations outside the hospital. You may ask for referrals from your physician and the hospital administration, social workers and psychiatrist.

Visit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to search for support groups.

With the treatments available for leukemia patients, awareness of the side effects helps in the preparation for the patient’s diet, supplementation (if allowed) and therapy. Management of the side effects will also be discussed by health care providers. Let us look at the probable side-effects of various treatments:

Chemotherapy.

Cancer cells divide rapidly, and anti-cancer drugs target these cells. However, the following normal cells divide rapidly and are affected by the treatment:

Blood cells fight infection, allows blood to clot, and carry oxygen around the body. With treatment, patients become prone to infections, get bruises or bleed easily and they feel weak.

Hair root cells also grow rapidly, ad is affected by treatment which explains hair loss among chemotherapy patients.

Digestive tract lining cells are also affected. Mouth and lips get sore, patient experiences vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and poor appetite.

Fertility may also be affected on both men and women.

A website provides a detailed list of the symptoms of leukemia. While most of these symptoms are common illnesses, awareness that these may lead to, or is already caused by leukemia might just save a life. Here are some of the symptoms:
- fever
- chills
- flu-like symptoms
- anemia
- bleeding easily
- bruising easily
- nosebleeds
- digestive bleeding
- frequent infections
- loss of appetite
- weight loss
- swollen or tender lymph nodes, liver and/or spleen
- tiny red spots under the skin
- swollen and/or bleeding gums
- night sweats
- bone pain
- joint pain
- headaches, seizures
- vomiting
- eye and/or skin sores

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Stem Cell Transplantation
The conventional ways of treating cancer, such as chemotherapy and radiation, damage healthy cells and have many undesirable side effects. Doctors found a way around this problem by stem cell transplantation (SCT). Stem cells are blood-forming cells found in the bone marrow. In the course of cancer therapy, these stem cells are damaged.

In SCT, stem cells are harvested and preserved. In a nutshell, the patient’s (or closest kin’s, preferably a sibling) stem cells are harvested and preserved. The doctors can then give maximum doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy to eliminate the leukemia cells.

Meanwhile, the patient’s stem cells are frozen and preserved until the chemotherapy course is over. The stems cells are then thawed and returned to the patient through transfusion.

Though truly amazing and brilliant, SCT is not without adverse effects. Long-term effects include sterility in men and women who have had high exposures to TBI (total body irradiation), endocrine malfunction, eye cataracts, and bone marrow toxicity.

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The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tasigna® (nilotinib) for the treatment of chronic and accelerated-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) for patients who are not able to tolerate or who have stopped responding to Gleevec® (imatinib).

Tasigna® is an agent that also targets the same protein as Gleevec but through a different mechanism. Some trials have indicated that Tasigna is more potent than Gleevec; however, further study is necessary for this determination.

CML is a cancer that originates in the white blood cells, affecting approximately 4,600 people annually in the U.S. In the case of CML, large numbers of young WBCs do not mature, resulting in an excess accumulation of these cells.

Tasigna® is manufactured by Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

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Clinical trials for leukemia treatments are being done all over the US, and other countries as well. New methods are being developed, and researches lead to promising treatments in the future. Patients are of great help when they join the studies to have new treatments tested on them. Doctors get to learn more about cancer and how it is best managed and treated. More therapies and transplant procedures are available.

For those who are interested to take part in clinical trials may find information in the National Cancer Institute web site. The Cancer Information Service may also be contacted at 1-800-4-CANCER, and they can provide information about clinical trials.