What are the treatment options for leukaemia?

BloodCancerCure

What is leukaemia?

Leukaemia is a type of blood cancer which involves the blood cells. It most commonly involves white blood cells. There are many types of leukaemia, based on how severe they are and the type of cells they affect.

There are four types of leukaemia. They are classified in two ways:

• ·     Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.
• ·     Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia.
• ·     Acute Lymphoid Leukaemia.
• ·     Chronic Lymphoid Leukaemia.

What happens in leukaemia?

In this type of cancer, the white blood cells, along with other blood cells, multiply in large numbers which eventually hinders the normal functioning of cells. the patient experiences a wide range of symptoms when they are affected by any type of leukaemia. Some of these are:

·         Lowered immunity

·         Tendency to bleed easily or bruise easily

·         Red bleed spots on the body (called petechiae)

·         Bone pain

·         Recurrent fever and chills

·         Fatigue and weakness

·         Swollen lymph nodes

·         Rapid and unexplained weight loss.

If you experience any or all of these symptoms, be sure to get it checked with your doctor.

How is leukaemia diagnosed?

To diagnose leukaemia, a couple of tests are performed.

·         

    Physical examination: The doctor will ask about the symptoms experienced by the patient. He/she will check for the physical signs like paleness, swollen lymph nodes, bruises and enlargement of the liver and spleen. If any suspicious signs are observed, the doctor would proceed to the next step.

·   Blood tests: Since cancer is a type of blood cancer, the most basic test for this is a blood test. A complete blood picture would show the number, size, shape and structure of the cells. any abnormal values would automatically lead loser to the diagnosis.

·         

   Bone marrow biopsy: Bone marrow is the part of the body which is responsible for the formation of blood cells. Leukaemia can be easily identified by the abnormalities seen in the bone marrow biopsy, confirming the diagnosis.

How is leukaemia treated?

The mode of treatment varies from person to person. The treatment mainly depends on the type of leukaemia, the severity, the age of the patient, and how far it has spread.

Based on this, the following are the treatment options:

·    

    Chemotherapy: This is the most commonly used mode of treatment where the patient is given drugs which result in the death of the cancerous cells. The drug may be given in the form of a pill, tablet or intravenously as an injection. Chemotherapy may be combined with other modes of treatment for a more effective cure. While chemotherapeutic agents destroy cancerous cells, they also end up destroying healthy cells, leading to a variety of side effects in the person.

·    Radiation therapy: In this mode of treatment, high-intensity radiation of x-rays are targeted to the cells which lyse the cancerous cells and stop their further growth. Radiation therapy for leukaemia is usually given through the whole body, but can also be given for a target location where the concentration of cells is more.

·         

    Stem cell transplantation: This type of treatment is one of the recent advances which claims to cure blood cancer. In this type of treatment, the patient’s stem cells or bone marrow is harvested. Then, a high dose of chemotherapeutic drugs is given to destroy all the cancerous cells. radiation therapy may also be given. 

    Once the patient’s body is rid of all the cancerous cells, the harvested stem cells are sent back into the body. They reach their location and multiply to form the new and healthy bone marrow. These will produce non-cancerous and healthy blood cells. Although this treatment sounds relatively perfect on theory, there are many complications and side effects that come along with it. One must do a thorough research before selecting stem cell transplantation as a treatment option.

·     

     Targeted therapy: This is a procedure in which the drugs target the cancerous cells. it works similar to chemotherapy, but only the cancerous cells are affected. This treatment also causes a wide set of side effects which needs to be handled carefully by the patient.

Although there are many options available for the treatment of leukaemia, not all are suitable for everyone. The doctors consider a variety of factors while selecting the treatment option. The patients also need to consider the pros and cons of each option.

Also Read: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia(CML) in Pakistan

About BloodCancerCure:

BloodCancerCure is world’s first such organization working 24*7 on helping blood cancer patients. BloodCancerCure works for patients across world by providing the lowest cost for bone marrow transplants, chemotherapy, and Bone marrow test. You can contact at +91-8448533753 to talk to our experts at BloodCancerCure for BMT treatment in India.