Leukemia – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

KOMPAS.com – Leukemia is a type of cancer that attacks blood cells. This makes leukemia Also known as blood cancer.

Before discussing further about leukemia, please note that human blood cells have a fairly broad category, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

In general, leukemia refers to cancer that attacks white blood cells.

Read also: Can Prevent the Risk of Leukemia?

White blood cells are an important part of the immune system. These cells function to protect the body from:

• Infection
• Bacteria
• Virus
• Fungi
• Sel abnormal
• Foreign substances.

In addition to white blood cells, each blood cell has its own function, including:

• Red blood cells deliver oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and organs.
• Platelets help to form clots to stop bleeding.

Type

Leukemia has several types.

The type of leukemia a person has depends on the type of blood cell that becomes cancerous and whether it grows quickly or slowly.

Types of blood cells are divided into:

• Lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell
• Myeloid cells, immature cells that become white blood cells, red blood cells, or platelets.

Read also: Is Leukemia Hereditary?

Different types can grow quickly or slowly:

• Acute leukemia develops rapidly. It usually gets worse quickly if left untreated.
• Chronic leukemia grows slowly. It usually gets worse over a longer period of time.

The main types of leukemia include:

• Acute lymphocytic leukemia: This type of leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children. It can also affect adults.
• Acute myeloid leukemia: This type of leukemia is more common in older adults but can also affect children.
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia: This type of leukemia is one of the most common types of leukemia in adults. This collection of symptoms often occurs during or after middle age.
• Chronic myeloid leukemia: This type of leukemia usually occurs in adults during or after middle age.

For certain types, there are various factors that can increase the risk.

Overall, risk of leukemia increases with age. The most common is over the age of 60 years.

Reason

Researchers have not found the exact cause of blood cell cancer.

Read also: Causes of Leukemia and Risk Factors

However, leukemia is thought to occur when some blood cells acquire changes (mutations) in a person’s genetic material or DNA.

The cell’s DNA contains instructions that tell the cell to grow at a set rate and die at a set time.

In leukemia, mutations tell blood cells to continue growing and dividing.

When this happens, the production of blood cells becomes out of control.

Over time, these abnormal cells can suppress healthy blood cells in the bone marrow, causing fewer healthy white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets, causing signs and leukemia symptoms.

Symptoms

Symptoms that may appear to indicate leukemia include:

• Excessive sweating, especially at night (called “night sweats”)
• Fatigue and weakness that don’t go away with rest
• Unintentional weight loss
• Bone pain and tenderness
• Painless swelling of the lymph nodes (especially in the neck and armpits)
• Enlargement of the liver or spleen
• Red spots on the skin, called petechiae
• Easy to bleed and easy to bruise
• Fever or chills
• Frequent infection.

Read also: 13 Signs of Leukemia to Watch Out for

Leukemia can also cause symptoms in organs that have been infiltrated or affected by cancer cells. For example, if cancer spreads to the central nervous system, it can cause:

• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Confusion
• Loss of muscle control
• seizures.

Leukemia can also spread to other parts of the body, including:

• Paru-paru
• Digestive tract
• Heart
• Kidney
• Testis.

Diagnosis

Health services generally use several tools to diagnose leukemia, such as:

• Physical examination
• Medical history check
• Blood tests, such as a complete blood count (CBC)
• Bone marrow test. There are two main types – bone marrow aspiration and bone marrow biopsy. Both tests involve taking bone marrow and bone marrow samples. The sample is sent to a laboratory for testing.
• Genetic tests to look for changes in genes and chromosomes.

Read also: Early Symptoms of Leukemia That Should Not Be Underestimated

Care

Leukemia is treated by a hematologist-oncologist, a doctor who specializes in blood disorders and cancer.

Treatment depends on the type and stage of the cancer. It also depends on the type and stage of the cancer.

However, treatment for leukemia usually involves one or more of the following stages:

• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Stem cell or marrow transplant
• Biological or immune therapy
• Targeted therapy.

risk factors

Factors that can increase your risk of developing certain types of leukemia include:

• Previous cancer treatment
• Genetic disorders
• Exposure to certain chemicals
• Smoking
• Family history with leukemia.

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This article is not intended for self-diagnosis. Please always consult a doctor to get the right examination and treatment.