Leukemia

Leukemia is cancer of the blood cells. It is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of developing bone marrow cells. It is not a single disease, but a group of malignancies in which the bone marrow and blood-forming organs produce excessive numbers of white blood cells. White blood cells develop from a type of cell in the bone marrow called a stem cell. When the process of white cell maturation goes awry, leukemia results. Immature white cells prevent the normal production of all blood cells, including white blood cells, which fight infection..

Signs and Symptoms

wo general categories of leukemia are acute and chronic. In acute leukemia, symptoms appear quickly and worsen quickly. This form of leukemia may develop over a short period of days to weeks. Abnormal white blood cells may collect in the brain or spinal cord. The result may be headaches, vomiting, confusion, loss of muscle control and difficulty seeing. Some patients develop sores in the eyes or unusual skin rashes.

Fatigue

Malaise (vague feeling of bodily discomfort)

Abnormal bleeding

Excessive bruising

Weakness

Reduced exercise tolerance

Weight loss

Bone or joint pain

Infection and fever

Causes of leukemia

It causes damage to the bone marrow, by displacing the normal bone marrow cells with a huge number of immature white blood cells resulting in a lack of blood platelets that are important in the process of blood clotting. This means people with leukemia when bruised will bleed excessively, or develop pinprick bleeds. Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for leukemia. Chemicals in tobacco smoke include benzene, polonium-210, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) are absorbed by the lungs and are spread via the bloodstream.

. Radiation– A high risk of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is caused among people who have been exposed to high doses of radiation.

. Chemicals–Workers who are exposed to benzene are prone to having acute leukemia. If exposed to some other solvents, herbicides, and pesticides can also cause this deadly disease.

Having human T-cell leukemia virus-1 (HTLV-1)

Having myelodysplastic syndrome.

Treatment
The goal in treating leukemia is to achieve complete remission (all signs and symptoms of leukemia have disappeared, although there still may be cancer in the body) by destroying cancerous cells so that normal cells can again grow in the bone marrow. In remission, cancerous cells cannot be seen in the blood or bone marrow, but more therapy is needed to achieve a cure. Several areas of research have yielded new approaches to treating leukemia.
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
Many different chemotherapeutic plans are available for the treatment of AML. Overall, the strategy is to control bone marrow and systemic (whole-body) disease while offering specific treatment for the central nervous system (CNS), if involved. In general, most oncologists rely on combinations of drugs for the initial, induction phase of chemotherapy.

injection with colony-stimulating factors such as granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), which may help to shorten the period of granulocytopenia that results from induction therapy; and

Transfusions with red blood cells and platelets.