Leukemia
What is it?
Leukemias are a group of disorders which
represent cancers of the blood and bone marrow system. Some
leukemias are slow growing, relatively benign disorders requiring only
observation, often for periods of years. Other diseases are dangerous,
rapidly growing processes, which require emergency treatment. Thus, to
understand the specific outlook for any given patient, it is important to diagnose accurately the nature of the disease and its stage.
Who gets it?
Patients with leukemia may be of any age
from early infancy through late adulthood. Occasional cases of leukemia
may be caused by environmental factors such as toxic chemicals or
radiation. Rare cases also result from hereditary conditions. For the
great majority of leukemia patients, the cause of the disease is
unknown.
What are the symptoms?
Many patients are diagnosed during routine
evaluations by primary care physicians (for example, during yearly
evaluations or insurance evaluations) and will have
significant anemia (low red blood cells-causing fatigue or weakness),
thrombocytopenia (lack of platelets potentially causing bleeding) or
neutropenia (lack of the infection fighting white cells neutrophils).
Lymph node swelling may accompany the disease and the spleen may be
enlarged.
Diagnosis
This disease may be diagnosed from study
of the peripheral blood, although bone marrow examination and x-ray
studies are often needed in order to determine the extent of the
disease. Also, diagnostic techniques including the examination
of chromosomes in the marrow or blood, and advanced techniques such as
molecular analysis of rearranged genes, allow physicians to follow the
status of disease in patients with great confidence.
Treatment
Conventional chemotherapy drugs, possibly two or more,
are most popular, however, some types of Leukemia require more aggressive or innovative
treatments. Treatments may initially be administered in a hospital and
subsequently in an outpatient setting.
The first objective of chemotherapy is
to achieve
remission. Remission is defined as the disappearance of detectable leukemia
from the blood, bone marrow and tissues of the patient. The second
objective of chemotherapy is to maintain these remissions for the
long-term, effectively curing the patient of the disease.
Physicians Who Treat Leukemia
This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference
guide written by our health care reviewers. The health information written
by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your
physician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for
professional medical advice.
|
