Leukemia symptoms and prevention

 Leukemia symptoms and prevention. Leukemia is a type of blood cancer. Blood is made up of different types of cells. These cells are made from bone marrow. Bone marrow is between the bones.

In leukemia, the bone marrow starts making abnormal blood cells instead of normal blood cells. Abnormal cells begin to grow uncontrollably and enter the blood. Sometimes, these cells accumulate in certain parts of the body. The problem is, when the bone marrow starts making abnormal blood cells, it doesn’t make the normal blood cells the body needs. This results in various symptoms.

share of leukemia

There are different types of leukemia. Some leukemias grow quickly, while others grow slowly. Most leukemias in children are fast-growing. These are called ‘acute’ types of leukemia. However, this type of leukemia grows slowly at first. But later it started to grow rapidly.

What are the symptoms of leukemia?

The most common symptoms are-

Feeling very tired and weak. Bleeding from minor injuries and unwillingness to stop bleeding.

• Frequent fevers or infections.

• Bone pain. As a result, children do not want to walk.

• Formation of lymph nodes under the skin in various parts of the body. Remember, the above symptoms may not be due to leukemia. But if any of the symptoms appear, definitely tell the doctor. If the doctor understands the need, he can also give some disease tests.

test

Blood Test:

 Some blood tests may be required. An example is a complete blood count. Through this test, it is detected whether there are leukemic cells in the blood or not. In addition, the presence of abnormally high white blood cells and low red blood cells and platelets also points to leukemia.

Bone marrow biopsy:

For this test, a doctor collects a very small sample of bone marrow. The cells are then placed under a microscope to see if they contain cancer cells.

How is childhood leukemia treated?

Treatments for leukemia are-

Chemotherapy:

Chemotherapy means to destroy cancer cells in the body by using special drugs. Medicines are usually administered intravenously. Sometimes these drugs are also administered to the back through a thin tube.

Radiation therapy:

Radiation therapy also works to destroy cancer cells.

Bone Marrow Transplantation:

 This treatment involves transplanting bone marrow cells. But he needs a bone marrow donor. The patient’s bone marrow is removed and replaced with healthy donor bone marrow.

Who can donate bone marrow?

A) Blood relatives can donate bone marrow. That is, brother, mother, father, sister, sister. However, some factors or factors in the donor’s blood have to be tested to see if they match with the patient’s blood factors or not.

b) Even if blood relatives are not found, the blood factor of the patient must match with some factors of the donor’s blood.

c) Use of newborn baby stem cells (matched with the blood factor of the child with cancer).

Most children recover after starting treatment. This means that doctors no longer see any abnormal blood cells in the blood or bone marrow. But even if the doctor does not see any abnormal cells, there is a risk of having diseased cells in the body. To kill these types of cells and prevent the leukemia from returning, the child’s treatment must be continued strictly until the end. Remember, be patient. Treatment usually takes 2 to 3 years to complete.

How is adult leukemia treated?

Doctors can treat leukemia in different ways. Sometimes, doctors start treating leukemia directly. In some cases, if leukemia grows slowly and does not cause symptoms, doctors may monitor the disease closely until treatment is needed. The right treatment depends on the type of leukemia, where the disease has spread, the patient’s age and other health problems.

Treatment for leukemia may include one or more treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and bone marrow transplant.

A couple of additional things need to be said about bone marrow transplantation in adults-

In some cases, the patient’s own bone marrow is extracted and stored before chemotherapy or radiation treatment is started. Chemo and radiation therapy are then given. After completion of therapy, the preserved bone marrow is transplanted into the patient’s body. The conditions for bone marrow transplantation in adults are the same as in children except for these minor differences.

 Surgery:

Sometimes, surgery is also done to remove an organ called the spleen.

After treatment-

After treatment, repeated tests are done to see if the leukemia comes back. The patient has to follow up by talking to the doctor, taking blood tests etc. If necessary, the doctor can sometimes do a bone marrow biopsy of the patient.

What happens if the leukemia comes back?

If the leukemia comes back, you may need more chemo, radiation therapy, or a bone marrow transplant.