Leukemia is a malignant cancer that first affects the organs that
produce blood and blood cells,like the lymph and the bone marrow. These
organs loose control over the number and quality of white blood cells
(also known as leukocytes) that they produce, so the blood gets
saturated with with abnormal white blood cells that can't fulfill their
initial role of protecting the body against viruses and bacteria.
Normally, the body produces a limited amount of cells that die after
they do what they are supposed to do, and then new ones are created.
But when cancer occurs this process malfunctions and the cells are not
developing properly and they do not die when they should. Furthermore,
although they do not die, more and more cancerous cells are created.
There are four types of leukemia cancer:
- acute Myelogenous Leukemia
- chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
- acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
- chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
The acute leukemia developers very rapidly and is more dangerous, while
chronic leukemia develops more slowly and is not too severe.
Unfortunately the cause of leukemia still remains unknown, but doctors
and researchers are working hard to find it.
Patients with leukemia are not able to fight against diseases anymore
because the white blood cells are defective, and when the cancer
spreads through the whole body a simple infection can be almost deadly
to the patient.
Leukemia has many symptoms that may vary from patient to patient. The most common are:
- a general state of fatigue and weakness
- sudden weight loss for no reason
- fever that appears out of nowhere
- very frequent infections with viruses that are hard to cure because the body can't fight them anymore
- bone pain
- sudden bleeding and blood in urine
It is extremely important that you visit a doctor as soon as you
suspect anything because unfortunately the cancer can spread fast and
once it has affected all the body little can be done to stop it from
killing you.
Leukemia can be treated, but it depends on how far it has advanced. The
treatment tries to reduce the white blood cell productions. Then
doctors determine whether the patient responds to the treatment or not.
If he does, then it is continued, but even if the treatment manages to
stop the defective cell production, it may still occur, even after a
few years. If the treatment is successful the patient must return from
time to time so that the doctors can kill all the remaining blood cells.
The treatment methods are chemotherapy and radiation therapy, or in some cases transplants can be done.
Some patients do not survive the treatment, but the number of victims
is decreasing as years pass, and we can only hope that an effective
cure will be found in the near future.
