Blood and Blood cancers
Blood is formed by bone marrow a spongy tissue found in the space inside the bones, and distributed all around the body. Red blood cells (RBC), White blood cells (WBC) and platelets are the cellular component of blood suspended in fluid called Plasma.
RBC contains hemoglobin which transport oxygen all around body and gives energy.
WBCs are cells responsible for protection of our body from infections. Neutrophils, Lymphocytes, Monocyte, Eosinophils and basophil are main WBC subtype and assigned for specific function to protect from infections.
Platelet are responsible to control bleeding.
When the blood cells start growing abnormally out of control, and interrupts the normal function of blood cells, the condition known as blood Cancer.
Hematologic cancers, commonly known as blood cancers, usually start from the bone marrow or lymph glands, and then, it spreads to the rest of the body.
So, here is a brief overview of types of blood cancers and available treatment.
The three main kinds of blood cancers
Myeloma, lymphoma, and leukemia are the three main kinds of cancer:
Myeloma: Myeloma, also known as multiple myeloma, is the kind of blood cancer which develop from plasma cells of the blood. The white blood cells of the bone marrow make the plasma cells. This cell is responsible to protect our body by producing protective protein known as immunoglobin. When plasma cell develop cancer they overgrow inside the bone and produce abnormal immunoglobin. This results weakness of bone, bony pain and easy to fracture and increase calcium in blood. These immunoglobin travels through blood and filtered through kidney, and cause damage to kidney. These abnormal protein is detected by electrophoresis test as M Band in blood and urine. Overgrowth of cancerous plasma cell suppress normal blood cell formation results anemia, increase risk of infection and sometime low platelet.
Lymphoma: Lymphoma is abnormal growth of lymphocytes results as swelling usually in lymph nodes situated in neck, armpit, groin.
There are two main types of lymphoma:
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Hodgkin lymphoma
These lymphomas have more than 50 subtype. It is diagnosed by biopsy of lymph-node or swelling. Subtyping is done by Immunohistochemistry test and molecular tests on biopsy. Exact subtyping is important for effective treatment.
Leukemia: Leukemia is the type of blood cancer that start from the bone marrow and spill into the blood. So cancer cell can be seen in normal blood examination, complete blood count and peripheral smear examination.
Overgrowth of cancerous cell suppress normal blood cell formation results anemia manifest as weakness, fever/ increase risk of infection and bleeding manifestation due to low platelet. Bone pain, abnormal swelling can also be seen.
How curable is blood cancer
The good news is that the rate of curability is pretty high when it comes to blood cancer. The right treatment and medication can ensure that most patient becomes completely cancer-free. Years of research have actually improved the chances of survival for the patients of blood cancers. Going by the reports of the National Institutes of Health, about two third people who have been diagnosed with leukemia have the probability of living five years or more. The curability rate is higher for Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, at 85 and 70 percent, respectively.
The fact is that blood cancers do have a high cure rate, but it depends completely on the type of cancer a patient has, his/her age, and the stage of the diseases, which implies how aggressively the cancer has spread. The curability of cancer varies according to these factors. There are blood cancers like myeloma or chronic lymphocytic Leukemia can effectively controlled so patient live normal, productive life for many years
When it comes to cancer, it is always like expecting the unexpected because even some of the high risk patients are known to have survived for a long time. At the same time, children are known to have died too young due to blood cancer, mainly leukemia. The genomic factor plays an important part in dictating whether this form of blood cancer can be cured or not.
With availably of targeted oral medicine, Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is now like other chronic disease as diabetes and hypertension.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which mostly affects the children, has a high curability for them, but we have to do more for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and adult Acute lymphoblastic leukemia to make it highly curable.
Treatment options for blood cancer
The main aim of treatment of blood cancers is to eradicate or suppress the cancer cell formation so it allows formation of normal blood cells. This aim is achieved by intensive chemotherapy. Chemotherapy are the medicine injected in the veins like intravenous antibiotics. Treatment of acute leukemia is very intensive, which have transient, significant but manageable side effects and require blood and platelet transfusion. These treatments are of curative intent.
In old and frail patient, however, if the doctor feels you are not strong enough to undergo curative treatment, he might suggest palliative treatments to improve your quality of life. These treatments include mild chemotherapy along with supportive care medicines.
Stem cell transplant: Stem cell transplant is the treatment offered to blood cancer patient where risk of relapse (disease come back) is high or disease come back after treatment. This treatment is usually given after controlling the cancer with chemotherapy.
In this procedure we are giving very high dose chemotherapy or radiation to kill visible and non-visible cancer cells along with blood formation system. New blood formation system is developed by infusion of blood stem cells (Blood Seeds) collected from heathy donor or patient himself. These Stem cells are usually collected from the blood, bone marrow, or umbilical cord blood.
Radiation therapy: It is used for destroying cancer cells or for relieving discomfort or pain. Even, this step might come before stem cell transplantation as a process of treatment.
Summing up
The word “blood cancer” is not to loose hope but the beginning of tough fight so many patients can bring back to their normal productive life. In this fight you are not alone, we are always with you.
