[ad_1]
According to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, leukemia is often considered to be an infant cancer, but it is more common in adults.
This type of cancer occurs when bone marrow stem cells produce abnormal blood cells, usually white blood cells. Since your immune system depends on these cells to function properly, your ability to fight off infections is greatly compromised.
Although some of the symptoms of leukemia are the same in children and adults, doctors are looking for several differences to establish the diagnosis in adult patients, according to Sean Fischer, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist at St. Providence Health Center John of Santa Monica, California.
"With leukemia, the types and subtypes almost give the impression that each of them looks like his own illness. to others, "he says. "That's why the diagnosis, especially at the earliest stage possible, is so important."
Types of Leukemia
There are two major types of leukemia in an adult patient, says Jack Jacoub, MD, medical oncologist and medical director. MemorialCare Cancer Institute of Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.
The former is acute, as in the case of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which often causes rapid onset of symptoms such as fatigue, fever, mild bruising or uncontrollable bleeding. This type occurs when the bone marrow produces abnormal myeloblasts, a type of white blood cell. Red blood cells or platelets can also be affected
The second is chronic, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia, in which the bone marrow produces too many lymphocytes, another type of white blood cell. Swollen lymph nodes are the most common symptoms in chronic patients.
Getting a diagnosis
The diagnosis of each type of leukemia begins with the reason why a patient might see a doctor, says Dr. Fischer. With acute types, it is likely that the symptoms are severe and that a patient has difficulty overcoming them. For example, a person may think that she has a severe flu due to extreme fatigue, a high fever and a general weakness. Leukemia appears as an abnormal number of blood cells in a routine blood test, which would prompt follow-up to detect the underlying problem.
"In the case of acute leukemia, it may be urgent and life-threatening, and this is often the case. Dr. Fischer says. "With chronic leukemia, you may not have any symptoms and feel good, or perhaps have what you seem to be more minor problems, such as unexplained bruising or an ankle rash. "
In either case, an initial blood test is performed, followed by a needle biopsy with aspiration of the bone marrow, usually from the pelvic bone, explains the Dr. Jacoub This will show leukemia cells, chromosomal changes in bone marrow and relevant DNA markers related to leukemia
Perspectives
If you have leukemia, the next step will be a treatment plan personalized, often with multiple Two-step chemotherapy aims to eliminate as many abnormal cells as possible from the bone marrow, says Dr. Fischer.
As treatment progresses, your oncologist examines additional information on chromosome and molecular distinctions, he adds. These results will determine how your treatment is managed, both immediately and in the long term.
But, he notes, keep in mind that it's a rapidly changing field. Thus, the diagnosis and prognosis experience of a person similarly five years ago with a similar type of leukemia can be very different from yours.
"The field is evolving so rapidly, with exciting new therapies, that we can diagnose and manage them. conditions are likely to change even in a few years from now, "he says. "This could lead to earlier diagnosis, especially with the identification of new genetic markers."
Source link
