What is leukemia?
As medical science progresses, the treatment of diseases has occurred as soon as it was considered incurable. One of the diseases that can now be treated is leukemia. This is blood cancer. It affects the body's ability to fight infection, heal and function normally.
There are four main types of leukemia and several subtypes in each category. The main types are acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute and chronic myeloid leukemia . Acute types usually proceed rapidly, while chronic diseases progress more slowly. Chronic lymphocyte and acute myeloid are the most common species, while acute lymphocyte is the most common in children. Lymphoblast is an immature white blood cell consisting of a lymphoid stem cell. Too many immature white blood cells are present in myeloid leukemia. These white blood cells are made of myeloid stem cells, which also porne red blood cells and plates. This can also be caused by medicines used to treat other types of cancer. Person withDown syndrome is also exposed to the higher risk of this disease.
Regardless of the type of leukemia that a person may have, symptoms are often similar. Symptoms may include fever or night sweat, frequent infections, weak or tired feeling, headaches, bleeding and bruises easily, bone or joint pain, abdominal swelling or discomfort, swollen lymph nodes and weight loss. None of them is diagnostic in itself, but together, they often point to leukemia as a cause. The diagnosis is made by bone marrow biopsy, indicating abnormal cells.
As soon as the doctor has a positive diagnosis of leukemia, it will often be sent to the patient for an oncologist who specializes in his treatment. The specialist is likely to consult with other field physicians about the patient and begin to form a treatment plan. Treatment will depend on the types that the patient has. For example, with chronic lymphocytic leukemiaAt an early stage, the patient does not have to be required by immediate treatment, but may be tested for signs of disease progression instead. Although this type can rarely be cured, patients can achieve and maintain mostly remission without symptoms.
Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy and bone marrow transplantation are the main weapons in the arsenal for the treatment of leukemia. The immediate goal of treatment is to bring the patient into remission without symptoms. The long -term goal is to keep the patient in remission. Patients may receive one or a combination of these treatments to achieve the drug. Many patients with acute conditions may be cured, so it should always be considered immediate treatment.
Hospital, such as the Children's Research Hospital in. Jude's in Memphis, Tennessee, was in the forefront of treatment and leukemia medications and their research saved the unspeakable number of lives. With progress in medical science over the past 15 years, this disease is no longer a death penalty as it once was. Patients now have a hope of a medicine.