Everywhere on the globe, people take time every September to raise awareness about blood cancer. Blood malignancies, including leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and Hodgkin’s disease, are the focus of activism and advocacy this month.
Blood Cancer: What Is It?
Blood cancer is an umbrella term for a group of diseases that begin in the hematological system. When blood travels through our veins, it carries oxygen and nutrients to all of our cells. There are around 5 liters of blood flowing in our bodies, with billions of blood cells performing a wide range of critical tasks. Hematopoietic stem cells are the source of all blood cells.
Haematopoietic stem cells are sometimes referred to as “mother cells” and do not yet serve a definite purpose. They may replenish themselves and specialize to take the place of dead cells by performing these tasks. Blood stem cells undergo division and differentiation into progenitor cells in bone marrow. “The progenitor cells divide and develop into various blood cell types before entering the circulation,” explains Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Head of Donor Request Management at the DKMS BMST Foundation in India.
Blood cancer is the uncontrolled multiplication of bone marrow cells, most notably white blood cells (WBCs). The proliferation of malignant cells in the circulation displaces healthy ones. Therefore, the blood is unable to carry out its primary functions, such as protecting the body from infection and delivering oxygen.
TYPES OF BLOOD CANCERS
Leukemia
The bone marrow and blood are the primary sites of this malignancy. “It is caused by aberrant fast production of WBCs and a large number of abnormal WBCs that cannot fight infection, and they limit the bone marrow’s capacity to create red blood cells and platelets,” says Dr. Jimmy Mirani, Consultant Onco Surgeon at Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai Central.
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer of the blood that affects the lymphatic system, which drains potentially harmful fluids and produces immune cells. White Blood Cells known as lymphocytes that aid the body in fending off illnesses. “These lymphocytes become lymphoma cells, and as they proliferate and accumulate in the organs, lymphoma tumors form,” Dr. Mirani elaborates.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-lymphoma Hodgkin’s are the two main categories of lymphoma.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma:
The B-cell or T-cell is the primary target. This type of lymphoma is more prevalent than Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Dr. Amrita Chakrabarti, Consultant, Haemato-Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant, Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, says that the aggressiveness of cancers may range from slow-growing to very fast.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma
B cells are the primary targets of this lymphoma subtype. The two main subtypes are those that are dominated by conventional Hodgkin’s lymphocytes and those that are dominated by nodular lymphocytes. occurs either in the elderly or in adolescents.
Myeloma
Plasma cell cancer occurs in white blood cells (WBCs) that create antibodies to fend against illness and infection. The immune system becomes compromised because myeloma cells inhibit antibody generation and activity.
Multiple myeloma
Unchecked proliferation of plasma cells is the initial cause of this condition, which manifests in the bone marrow. Bone disease, organ damage, and anemia are just a few of the problems that may result from the proliferation of these cells, as explained by Dr. Agarwal.
THE SYMPTOMS OF BLOOD CANCER
Cancer of the blood often causes the patient to feel exhausted and feeble. This is because there is not enough blood in the body when the number of red blood cells begins to decline. According to Dr. Pravas Mishra, Head of Haematology/Medical Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Amrita Hospital in Faridabad, frequent signs of blood malignancies include high body temperature, extreme weariness, bleeding from the gums or skin, a sore back, and pain in the bones.
Patients with myeloma may initially see a nephrologist for renal problems or an orthopaedist for a fracture caused by minor trauma. In addition to arthritis, bone and joint pain might be a sign of blood cancer. Blood cancer develops in the bone marrow, which is located in copious quantities in and around the skeletal system.
Nodes in the neck, axilla, groin, or swelling elsewhere on the body are all possible symptoms. However, decreased haemoglobin levels may be the only symptom shown by a patient with blood malignancy. Dr. Mishra cautions, “Anemia is not something to be taken lightly.”
It’s common for someone with blood cancer to become sick often. Complaints of infection manifest in the mouth, throat, skin, lungs, and elsewhere as leukemia cells form in the body.
Many cancer patients are noticeably underweight. An unintentional loss of body mass may be the first sign of malignancy.
Platelets and other healthy blood cells can’t be produced by the bone marrow when leukemia cells are developing abnormally in the body. Because of this deficit, the patient is more likely to have nosebleeds, heavy periods, and bleedy gums.
Diagnosis of Blood Cancer
Blood cancer is detected using a variety of diagnostic procedures coupled with clinical examination, including blood tests, bone marrow testing, cytogenetic/karyotyping and molecular analyses, and flow cytometry.
BLOOD CANCER TREATMENT
The following are some examples of blood cancer treatments:
Chemotherapy
This is the cornerstone of treating blood cancer and includes administering toxic chemicals directly into the patient’s bloodstream to eradicate the malignant cells. For optimal health benefits, the prescription medications should be administered at regular intervals. High-dose chemotherapy is combined with a stem cell transplant for certain individuals.
Radiation therapy
Through the use of targeted, high-energy beams, radiation therapy aids in the destruction of cancer cells in particular anatomical regions. Lymphoma sufferers may greatly benefit from this therapy.
Stem Cell Transplantation
This technique involves the use of healthy stem cells to replace cancerous ones. This facilitates optimal healing for the patients. Either the patient’s own stem cells (autologous) or donor stem cells (allogeneic) are used (when a healthy donor gives stem cells to the patient).
Targeted Therapy
Medications are often consumed by mouth. They specifically target and destroy certain subtypes of cancer cells, and they are given to patients in combination with conventional cancer therapies such as chemotherapy or radiation.
Source: https://www.news18.com/
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