Blood Cancer
Blood Cancer
What Is Blood Cancer?
Among all other types of cancer, blood cancer is one of the most commonly occurring diseases that are found in the recent times. This type of cancer is deadly and occurs when the blood cells start abnormal division and growth within the human body. Before the cancer develops, the abnormally grown cells start spreading into the other parts of the body and thus develop the disease. In this case the abnormally divided cells check the proper functioning of the normal and healthy cells and thus leads to the development of blood cancer, and it gradually spreads all over the body through the blood stream.
Moreover, when blood cancer develops in the body, there is a surplus of white blood cells in the body that damages bone marrow and the cancer turn out to be more fatal. The stem cells in bone marrow are made up of red blood cells (RBC) that help to carry the pigments known as hemoglobin, responsible for the red color of the blood and also help in the transportation of oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and other different parts of the body, white blood cells (WBC) that help to boost up your immune system by fighting against any severe disease, and platelets that helps in proper blood coagulation. Blood cancer restricts the proper functioning of the WBCs, for which the immune system almost breaks down and due to their abnormal division, the other parts, especially bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, thymus gland, and many other parts start getting damaged.
Various Stages Of Blood Cancer
Stage 1: This is the initial stage of the cancer when the cancer is just starting to develop within the body. There is no such symptom that becomes noticeable during this stage of blood cancer. Inside the body, the lymph nodes begin to increase in size and volume because the number of lymphocytes begins to increase abruptly. This is the stage in which the cancer has not yet started spreading into the other parts of the body and if the cancer is detected in the first stage, it is easily treatable.
Stage 2: In the second stage the lymphocytes further increase in amounts and thus the size of lymph nodes further increases. In this stage, major organs of the body such as the spleen, liver, and so on also start increasing in size and might get damaged if the severity starts increasing in this stage. Though a bit severe the disease is still treatable in this stage.
Stage 3: In the third stage of blood cancer, two or more organs are by the cancer cells and by this stage the cancer starts spreading into the different parts of the body. The most common occurrence of this stage is lack of hemoglobin in the body leading to diseases like anemia.
Stage 4: The final and the most severe stage of blood cancer is stage 4. The disease is barely treatable in this stage and there is little chance of survival. In the stage, the platelet count reduces rapidly and the major organs of the body such as the lungs are severely damaged in this phase as the harmful cancer cells have spread all through the body.
Symptoms Of Blood Cancer
Though one might not notice any significant symptom of blood cancer, but there are certain common signs that might foretell the development of blood cancer within the body. Some such symptoms are as follows:
- Seizures
- Bleeding gums
- Anorexia nervosa
- Frequent infections
- Problems in urination
- Swelling in spleen and liver
- Lymph nodes become swollen
- Sudden unexplained loss of weight
- Loss of control on hand and leg muscles
- Mild to acute pain in bone and back joints
- Feeling of vomiting and pain in the abdomen
- Problems in breathing as the cancer affects lungs
- Mild fever along with infections that occur frequently and shivering
- Mild to severe pain in the bones and bones become tender and fragile
- Appearance of red spots on skin and mild bleeding and bruising that occurs easily
- Profuse tiredness and feeling of exhaustion and weakness, accompanied by heavy sweating, particularly during the nighttime
Where Can Blood Cancer Spread?
Blood cancer, when turns out to be severe, can spread into different parts of the body, including the following major organs:
- Heart
- Kidneys
- Testicles
- Gastrointestinal tract
Different Types Of Blood Cancer
Causes damage to the plasma cells of the body and weakens the whole immune system of the body by damaging the action of the WBCs.
The most common type of blood cancer that is caused by abnormal cell division in the bone marrow.
This type of cancer damages the lymph nodes and the lymphatic system that weakens the entire immune system of the body by damaging the function of the WBCs and exposes the body to greater chances of chronic diseases and infections.
Possible Causes Of Blood Cancer
- Chemical intoxication
- Other blood cancer disorders
- Excessive irregularity in lifestyle
Apart from these basic causes, there are certain reasons too that are considered responsible for the development of blood cancer in the body. Some such factors are as follows:
- Lack of proper immunity
- Excessive Smoking or drinking
- Presence of blood cancer, or any other forms of cancer in the family history
- Presence of blood disorders in the body
- Development of infections within the body
- Any kind of prolonged virus infection, such as HIV infection
Risk Factors Related To Blood Cancer
Blood cancer, if not detected and treated early might prove to be lethal in later stages. But there are certain risk factors related to blood cancer. Some of them are listed as follows:
- Blood- related disorders
- Excessive smoking and drinking
- Irregular diets and lifestyle disorders
- Down syndrome or abnormal genetic mutation
- Presence of blood cancer genes in the family history
- If the patient has a previous history of cancer treatment
- Excessive exposure to high levels of radiation or harmful chemical substances such as benzene
Process Of Diagnosis Of Blood Cancer
There are certain methods that are used to detect the condition and development of cancer cells in the body. The process of diagnosing blood cancer is provided below:
Blood tests:Your doctor will advise to carry out extensive blood tests, like CBC to check the growth and condition of RBC, WBC, and platelets.
Bone marrow biopsy:This test takes a little amount of bone marrow from your body and examines to know the severity of the damage of bone marrow and how it can be recovered.
Spinal tap:In this case a fluid is extracted from the spinal cord of the patient to conform the type of blood.
Picturing tests:Tests such as CT, MRI, and PET scans are performed to obtain clear images of the condition of the bone marrows and of the damage the cancer has done to the body.
Blood Cancer Treatment Options
Various methods are used by oncologists and health care experts to treat blood cancer. Some of the methods are listed here as follows:
FAQs
Blood cancer reduces the amount of hemoglobin content in your blood and might possibly lead to anemia.
Blood cancer is easily treatable when detected in the early stages through processes like chemotherapy or radiation therapy. If detected late, treating blood cancer might be difficult.
The time that will take for you to recover from blood cancer will entirely depend on the severity of your condition and the number of chemotherapies you have gone through.
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