The term "blood cancer" (leukemia) is a collective term for malignant diseases of the blood-forming system. Blood cells degenerate and displace healthy red blood cells, white blood cells, and so-called platelets. As a result, the blood can no longer perform its vital functions. cancer includes leukemias, lymphomas, and myelomas.
Symptoms
The symptoms of blood cancer are nonspecific, meaning they cannot be exclusively attributed to a single disease and can be caused by various conditions.
Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, paleness, fever, pain, increased susceptibility to bleeding, or frequent infections. Bone and joint pain, a sense of pressure or pain in the upper abdomen, headaches, dizziness, sensory disturbances, or paralysis may also occur.
The symptoms of acute leukemia (AML or ALL) usually develop rapidly over a few days to weeks. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) develops slowly, often over many years. Therefore, many affected individuals may not have obvious symptoms at the time of diagnosis. The diagnosis of leukemia can only be confirmed through blood and bone marrow examinations.
The risk of developing leukemia decreases with age in children and young people. After the age of 30, the risk steadily increases, with men having a higher likelihood of developing it than women. CLL is the most common form of leukemia in both sexes.
Diagnosis of Leukemia
A doctor needs to check for signs of leukemia in your blood or bone marrow. Diagnostics in Switzerland may include the following tests:
Blood tests: : A complete blood count shows the number and maturity of various blood cell types. A blood smear looks for unusual or immature cells.
Bone marrow biopsy: This test involves taking a sample of bone marrow from the pelvic bone using a long needle. It can tell your doctor the type of leukemia you have and how severe it is.
Lumbar puncture: This involves taking fluid from your spinal cord. It can tell your doctor if the leukemia has spread.
Imaging tests: Methods like CT, MRI, and PET scans can detect signs of leukemia.
How Is Leukemia Treated?
The treatment of leukemia depends on the type of leukemia, your age, overall health, and whether the leukemia has spread to other organs or tissues
Common treatment methods often include a combination of the following actions:
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is the most common form of leukemia treatment. It involves using chemical substances to destroy leukemia cells or prevent their reproduction. During treatment, you may receive these chemicals (medications) in the form of tablets, intravenous injections, or subcutaneous injections. Patients usually receive a combination of chemotherapy drugs.
Immunotherapy (biological therapy): duringThis treatment uses specific drugs to boost the body's immune system to fight leukemia. Immunotherapy helps the immune system identify cancer cells and produce more immune cells to combat them.
Targeted therapy: This treatment uses drugs designed to target specific parts of leukemia cells (such as a protein or gene) that make them displace normal blood cells. Targeted therapy can prevent the proliferation of leukemia cells, block their blood supply, or kill them directly. Targeted therapy is less likely to harm normal cells. Examples of targeted therapy drugs include monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
Radiation therapy: This treatment uses strong energy beams or X-rays to kill leukemia cells or stop their growth. During treatment, a machine directs radiation precisely to areas of your body where cancer cells are located, or it can be distributed throughout your body. Whole-body radiation may be used prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Hematopoietic stem cell or bone marrow transplantation: : This treatment replaces cancerous blood-forming cells killed by chemotherapy and/or radiation with healthy hematopoietic cells. Your doctor may obtain these healthy cells from your blood or bone marrow before chemotherapy and radiation, or they may come from a donor. The healthy new cells multiply to form a new bone marrow and blood cells, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, which your body needs.
T-cell therapy with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR): : This is a new type of therapy where your body's infection-fighting T-cells (T-lymphocytes are a type of immune cells) are engineered to target leukemia cells and then reintroduced into your body.
Clinical trials are also available to test new cancer treatment methods. Discuss the potential benefits and risks of participating in a clinical trial with your doctor.