Leukemia: Early Signs and Treatments

Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the body’s blood-forming mechanisms and is usually found in the bone marrow or lymph nodes. Leukemia often impacts white blood cell production, causing the body to over-produce white cells that do not function as they should. This can lead to ineffective immunity and low blood counts, as cancerous white cells hinder the production of other cells.

According to the National Cancer Institute, estimated new leukemia cases were over 60,000 last year in the United States. In 2017, there were approximately 435,000 Americans living with the disease. Prognosis is heavily influenced by how early the disease is detected ; it is estimated that 63.7 percent of those diagnosed will live at least five years post-diagnosis.

Types

Leukemia is categorized based on whether it’s chronic or acute, and where in the bone marrow the disease originates. The four main types of leukemia are:

• Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) – A slow-growing cancer that affects myeloid cells (those responsible for producing red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets).
• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) – A more aggressive form of myeloid leukemia, in which cells are affected earlier in their lifecycle.
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) – A slow-growing cancer that affects lymphocytes and is therefore also found in the lymph nodes and other lymphatic tissues.
• Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) – A more aggressive form of lymphocytic leukemia, which affects cells earlier in their lifecycle.

In general, patients with acute forms of leukemia have a worse prognosis and much shorter life expectancy.

Early Signs and Symptoms

The early symptoms of leukemia differ between patients and are affected by the person’s age. In children, symptoms may include:

• Easy bruising
• Easy bleeding
• Fever
• Dizziness
• Joint and bone pain
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Frequent infections

In adults, symptoms often include:

• Weight loss or loss of appetite
• Night sweats
• Abdominal swelling
• Bleeding problems
• Enlarged lymph nodes
• Frequent infections
• Joint and bone pain

Treatment Options

Doctors may recommend ‘watchful waiting’ if a leukemia patient has yet to develop symptoms. When symptoms do start to appear, a combination of the following treatments may be employed:

• Chemotherapy – Drugs that combat the cancer; a good option for fast-growing acute leukemia.
• Radiation – Targets areas where cancer cells have collected. It is sometimes given in low doses before a stem cell transplant.
• Targeted therapy – Drugs that attack cancer cells.
• Stem cell transplant – The patient is infused with healthy blood-forming stem cells collected from the patient’s or donor’s bone marrow, circulating blood, or umbilical cord blood.

Talk To Your Doctor

Search online for more information on this disease. If you or your child is experiencing any of the symptoms outlined above, make an appointment to speak to your doctor immediately. Like many types of cancer, early detection greatly improves the prognosis.