Blood cancer - The invasion of the ‘whites’

Blood cancer which is also known as leukemia is the deadliest form of the disease, and it involves a lot of courage, will power and strength to fight it! The word itself sends a chill down your spine! So what is it? Well the literal meaning of leukemia means ‘excess white cells in the blood’.

Basically the bone marrow produces an abnormally large number of white blood cells that results in fewer number of normal cells being produced. This results in loss of immunity and in advanced third or fourth cases eventual death.

There are many types of this illness and they differ from the exact type of cells affected by the disease. The chronic leukemia is the slow progressing one while there are others like the myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphatic leukemia which has other characteristics.

Following are some of the symptoms that a person experience-
• tiredness (due to anemia)
• bruising easily (often without having had any blow or fall)
• repeated infections
• enlarged lymph glands
• weight loss
• night sweats
• Fever.

Each type of the illness will have its own specific symptoms but these are the general symptoms that can be seen in a person suffering from blood cancer.

The diagnosis often comes through when blood tests are done for other reasons. But once the detection or slight hint comes across a bone marrow test generally gives the conformation. After this there are many sample tests, x rays and scans that need to be performed. Generally the diagnosis influences the kind of treatment that needs to be given for the cure of the disease.

The treatment given to the patient is case specific but generally chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the most common forms of treatment that are followed. The former is a tablet form while the latter is given with x rays. Chemotherapy is a very intensive kind of treatment and has toxic chemical effects which results in symptoms like loss of hair etc. Radio therapy though intensive is a milder form.

There have been considerable advances in the field of cancer treatment and various newer and more sophisticated treatments like biological therapies and bone marrow transplants have come into use. This has resulted in remarkable cure rates and the case is not the same as it was 30-35 years ago when the prognosis was dreadful. This said, it should be taken into account that, cure is never hundred percent and recurrences are too frequent which diminish hope. But as the old saying goes - ‘where there is a will there is a way’!