Blood cancer, also often called leukemia or leukemia, is far from the last place in a large list of oncological diseases. Patients, having heard such a diagnosis, most often panic. This is understandable, because cancer is literally read as a death sentence.
It's not really all that tragic. Despite the complexity and duration of treatment, now there are chances for a cure even in patients with the last (fourth) stage of the disease. What do you need to know and how to act correctly in order to be the winner in the fight against the disease?
General information
Blood cancer is an oncological disease in which atypical cells appear in the bone marrow as a result of a mutation. They differ from ordinary ones in structure and function. In addition, they divide rapidly, crowding out he althy cells and disrupting the entire body.
The fact is that several types of cells are present in the blood at once:
- erythrocytes capable of attaching oxygen molecules and transporting it throughout the body;
- platelets responsible for blood clotting (they form a blood clot at the site of tissue damage and stopbleeding);
- leukocytes that eliminate pathogenic bacteria and viruses that have entered the bloodstream.
Mutated (cancer) cells do not perform any of the above actions, moreover, with the blood flow they enter other organs of the human body (give metastases).
The peculiarity of leukemia is that it can appear in people of different ages. Among the patients there are a large number of children, young and old people. With regard to gender, the symptoms of blood cancer in men are detected somewhat more often. Doctors explain this by the fact that men are more susceptible to negative influences - work in hazardous industries, bad habits.
Causes of blood cancer
It has long been known that a serious illness is much easier to prevent than to treat, but with oncological diseases, everything is much more complicated. The fact is that the exact causes of the occurrence of atypical cells have not yet been found. But scientists and doctors still have some data - these are factors that can become an impetus for cell mutation. It was possible to identify them by studying the case histories of many patients with blood cancer. Most of them had the following risk factors in their lives:
- Exposure to ionizing radiation. Radiation has a profound effect on the human body. Researchers call it one of the main causes of leukemia. This is confirmed by the fact that most of the inhabitants of post-war Japan and the Chernobyl zone were diagnosed with symptoms of blood cancer.
- Constant contact withsome chemicals. These include benzene, cytostatics and many other chemical and viral mutagens.
- Radiation therapy. Such treatment of certain diseases can eventually lead to the development of blood cancers.
- Bad habits. Excessive consumption of various alcoholic beverages, smoking, and the use of drugs significantly increases the risk of developing blood cancer. In women, this dependence happens somewhat less often.
- Genetic predisposition. Affects the level of risk and the presence of close relatives with a similar diagnosis.
Forms of leukemia
In fact, blood cancer is a collective concept that includes several types of oncological diseases of the hematopoietic organs. Here it is customary to distinguish between acute and chronic leukemia:
- A feature of acute leukemia is the presence of immature young blood cells in the blood. They inhibit the normal process of hematopoiesis. Pathology develops rapidly.
- Chronic leukemia has slightly different symptoms. This disease is manifested by a large number of granulocytes or granular leukocytes, which over time replace all he althy blood cells.
Stages of disease progression
The entire period of leukemia is usually divided into several stages. Chronic leukemia has 5:
- 0 stage. At this time, atypical cells are present in the bone marrow in a rather limited amount. The course of the disease is characterized as slow and asymptomatic. Pathology can be detected only with a detailedblood composition study.
- 1 stage. Blood cancer slowly progresses, the number of malignant cells increases. Some general symptoms are possible, but they are mild.
- 2 stage. The number of lymphocytes increases, the process gives metastases. The lymph nodes are involved in the process (they increase), the liver and spleen.
- 3 stage. At this stage, the number of malignant cells grows quite rapidly. It is at this moment that many cancer patients seek medical help, because the symptoms of the disease become distinct.
- 4 stage. This is the last stage in the development of the disease. By this time, the functions of hematopoiesis are completely impaired. Metastases are present not only in the liver, spleen and lymphatic system, but also in other organs.
Stages of acute leukemia
The development of acute leukemia is divided into only 3 stages:
- Initial. From the very onset of acute leukemia, its development occurs at a rapid pace. The number of atypical cells is quite large already at this stage. As a result, there may be some flu-like symptoms.
- Expanded. At this stage, blood cancer is actively manifested and quite easily diagnosed. The peculiarity is that after the advanced stage, patients often experience a long-term remission. This means that the person's symptoms of leukemia are fading or disappearing completely.
- Terminal. The most dangerous stage in the development of leukemia, since the likelihood of death is high. At this time, the disease is difficult to treat, patientscomplain of severe pain, which is not relieved by conventional medicines (very powerful medicines are needed). The entire hematopoietic system, lymphatic system, and some other organs are involved in the process.
How leukemia manifests
The clinical picture is affected by which blood cells are most susceptible to the pathological process.
So, a sharp decrease in the number of platelets affects wound healing. Patients complain of bleeding gums, nosebleeds that do not stop for a long time. Symptoms of blood cancer in women and men appear in the form of poor clotting, vascular fragility.
If the number of leukocytes has decreased, then this immediately affects the human immune system. Immunity is reduced, the body does not have enough strength to fight viral and infectious diseases. The result is persistent infectious diseases that come and go.
Reducing the level of hemoglobin leads to oxygen starvation of tissues and organs, including the brain. A cancer patient notes a breakdown, fatigue. The skin becomes dry and pale, memory deteriorates, attention decreases.
Symptoms of blood cancer
Like most other oncological diseases, leukemia in the early stages shows almost no symptoms. This is the very difficulty that prevents early detection of the disease.
Starting from 2-3 stages appear:
- small red spots on the skin (these are hemorrhages that occur due to fragilityvessels);
- frequent nosebleeds;
- severe bone pain;
- headaches (at first they appear quite rarely and are effectively removed by analgesics, but they become stronger over time);
- heavy night sweats;
- enlarged lymph nodes;
- weakness, apathy, fatigue;
- loss of appetite;
- drastic weight loss;
- shortness of breath;
- attacks of nausea, which quite often end in vomiting;
- high body temperature (37-39°C).
Diagnosis
From the moment atypical cells appear in the body, some time must pass before the disease begins to manifest itself. Cancer patients, as a rule, go to the doctor at the 3rd stage, however, during a diagnostic examination, signs of blood cancer can be detected already at the initial stages. To do this, laboratory tests and hardware procedures are carried out:
- Initial reception. It will not be possible to do without this procedure. During it, the doctor will write down complaints from the patient's words, get acquainted with the medical history and concomitant diseases. At this time, they examine the lymph nodes, skin, check reflexes. After that, additional diagnostic procedures are assigned.
- Blood tests (general and biochemical). As a result, data on the quantitative composition of the blood are obtained.
- Research of the bone marrow. A tissue sample is obtained by puncture. With a long thin needle, a small amount of bone marrow is removed from the ilium orsternum. A characteristic sign of blood cancer is that normal blood cells will be present in small numbers in the sample, and malignant immature cells will predominate.
- Immunophenotyping (in other words, immunological research). In this case, flow cytometry is used. This type of hardware diagnostics makes it possible to analyze cellular components as quickly and efficiently as possible.
- Molecular genetic testing. It confirms or refutes the heredity of blood cancer in humans.
- Cytogenetic study. During this procedure, the type of leukemia and the degree of damage to the chromosomes are detected.
- Chest x-ray. The results of such an examination allow obtaining data on the state of the lungs and lymphatic system. If there are metastases here, it will be visible on the picture.
- Electroencephalography.
- Electrocardiography.
- Ultrasound. Another type of hardware examination, with the help of which it is possible to obtain data on the state and work of internal organs. In particular, the doctor sees how enlarged the spleen and liver are. Possible metastases in other organs are also detected.
Can leukemia be cured
Just a few decades ago, this diagnosis was tantamount to a sentence. Many people still regard leukemia as an incurable disease. In fact, the detection of malignant cells in the blood is not a reason to give up.
Modern methods of treatment can effectively fight leukemia, and in the earlystages and completely get rid of it. At the same time, doctors are in no hurry to make treatment predictions. A lot here depends on the characteristics: the stage and type of blood cancer, the age of the cancer patient, the presence of concomitant diseases.
Chemotherapy
Most cancers are treated with surgery. During it, the surgeon performs a resection (removal) of the tumor, thereby blocking its further development. However, in the case of leukemia, this approach cannot be used, since there is no localized tumor. Atypical blood cells spread throughout the human body.
It is for this reason that doctors had to look for other suitable methods to combat leukemia. One of them is the use of chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy is a blood cancer treatment that uses powerful drugs. The principle of their action is to suppress cancer cells and destroy their structure. As a result, abnormal cells lose their ability to reproduce and the disease recedes.
These medicines come in the form of tablets or intravenous fluids. Apply them in courses. At the same time, the doctor calculates the duration and dosage individually in each case.
It is worth noting that exposure to chemotherapy drugs affects not only malignant, but also he althy tissues. For this reason, patients tolerate such treatment quite hard - there are many side effects. Among them:frequent bouts of nausea and vomiting, severe weakness, excessive hair loss, bone marrow damage.
Additional Therapy
During chemotherapy, the patient's body is especially sensitive to external influences. Immunity is sharply reduced, so the person is without protection from viruses and bacteria. To protect him from permanent infectious diseases, the cancer patient is kept under observation in the clinic under sterile conditions.
In addition, various drugs are prescribed to restore the general condition:
- antibiotics;
- corticosteroid hormones;
- drugs from the antiviral group;
- means for raising immunity.
Bone marrow transplant
This method of treatment is used in cases where chemotherapy does not give a positive result. A bone marrow transplant is a complex procedure in which bone marrow tissue is removed from a donor and then transplanted into a cancer patient.
This is preceded by a lengthy preparation of the patient. Before transplantation, it is necessary to eliminate all pathological cells, so the person is treated with strong doses of radiation or chemotherapy. In addition to the long preparation, the difficulty lies in finding a suitable donor.
However, even such complex operations do not guarantee a complete cure.
Proper nutrition
After treatment (chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation), it is very important to approach the diet correctly. It will not only help restore strength, but also improve immunity and even prevent the recurrence of the disease.
Things to give up completely:
- all kinds of sweets;
- baked goods;
- animal fats;
- carbonated drinks;
- fast food;
- canned foods;
- coffee and strong tea.
What should the diet of a patient diagnosed with leukemia consist of:
- meat is dietary (it can be a rabbit or a bird);
- fresh vegetables and fruits, greens (the number of such products should be at least 500 g);
- liver (it's good to cook in the form of a pate);
- fish and in general all types of seafood (it contains fatty acids that can slow down the development and growth of cancer cells);
- fermented milk products (from which you can choose yogurt or unsweetened kefir, bifidok, fermented baked milk);
- nuts (limited quantities);
- cereals (porridge should be present in the diet daily);
- vegetable oils (including olive oil);
- egg whites;
- green tea, not very sweet compote, juice, herbal decoctions.
Each patient with a similar diagnosis sooner or later wonders how long they live with blood cancer. This indicator largely depends on the stage of the disease at which treatment began, and on the form of the disease.
With leukemia, which develops rather quickly, adult patients who apply at the very beginning of the disease get rid of the diseasein about 85-90% of cases. Those who delayed going to the clinic until the very end have a five-year survival rate of about 40% of cases.
At the same time, children have slightly different statistics - with timely treatment, they have more than 95% of cases of recovery.
