Leukemia
Leukeumia is a type of cancer affecting the bone marrow. Bone marrow is where platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells (Leukocytes) are made. (Medical Journal Dictionary)Leukemia is caused by the rapid production (Proliferation) of Leukocytes, and causes a build-up that inhibits red blood cells, and platelets from functioning and stops other Leukocytes from fighting infection. Because of the abnormally rapid production these cells are unable to mature or develop properly and are unable to carry out their functions. (Almeida & Barry, 2010) There are four main types of Leukemia, each classified by how rapid the disease develops and which type of white blood cell is affected; Acute which is a rapid development of Leukemia and Chronic a more gradual development of the disease. The two other classifications of Leukemia are determined by the type of white blood cell being affected; Lymphocytic (affecting the Lymphocytes) and Myeloid (affecting the Myelocytes). This gives us four types of Leukemia; Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (peak prevalence between the ages of 2-9years). (Almeida & Barry, 2010)
Treatments
New treatments are being discovered yearly and are constantly being improved. The treatment for Leukemia depends on the patient’s age, the type of Leukemia, and where the cancer cells were found.
Treatment for Acute Leukemia:
Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT)
What occurs in a BMT is the bone marrow cells are exposed to very high doses of Chemotherapy and/or Radiation Therapy to destroy them. Once the cells die and are no longer reproducing, new healthy bone marrow from another compatible human is given intravenously ...
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Leukemia (cont.) Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/leukemia/page6.htm#6howis
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Treatment depends on number of factors like the health of a person and their age, treatments can be very strenuous on the body but almost no surgery is required. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy o combined making treatment for lymphoma very effective and giving it a high survival rate.
On Sunday, a nurse on a medical/surgical floor in a large private hospital is assigned as the primary nurse to a woman who was just admitted. The woman’s testing begins on Monday and the primary nurse does not have work for the next few days. The nurse returns on Saturday and goes over the woman’s charts. The nurse discovers that the woman has chronic lymphocytic leukemia and is being treated for the disease. After approaching the woman the nurse realizes that the woman is unaware of her diagnoses as she asks the nurse when she will be able to return to work. The nurse explains that she has not yet spoken with the physician and will get back to her once she has done so. On your way back to the nurses' station, one of the woman's two daughters approaches the nurse and urges the nurse to assure her mother that there is no reason for concern. The daughter explains that her mother has just been through a painful divorce and
2. External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) which is usually offered when the lung cancer is either considered to be primary, or when it has metastasized (spread to other organs). This form of treatment uses a linear accelerator machine to focus a precise beam of radiation on a given area of the body for a precise period of time to kill off cancerous cells.
...0’s cancer mortality rates have dramatically decreased from 10% to over 80% for leukemia. Overall decline in mortality for cancer was nearly 54% from 1978 to 2008 (National Cancer Institute, 2011). Decrease in mortality rates are due to improvements in cancer treatments. Recent advances in treatments are due to aggressive cancer therapies and collaboration of findings from clinical trials. More than 80 percent of patients are expected to be long term cancer survivors (National Cancer Institute, 2011).
There are essentially three main types of cancer treatments; surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Surgery allows doctors to effectively remove tumors from a clear plane. Chemotherapy uses drugs to treat the tumor; but often the drugs affect other healthy cells in the process. Using radiation as a treatment can be either precise or vague. Many health stigmas can come from the vague forms of radiation or conventional radiation therapy. Conventional radiation treats both the unhealthy and healthy cells, therefore exposing healthy cells to harmful radiation (Radiation Oncology, 2011, p.6). When healthy cells are exposed to gamma radiation they are also exposed to ionizing radiation. The ionization can cause “breakage of chemical bonds or oxidization (addition of oxygen atoms)” in a cell; the main impact of this is on a cell’s DNA, if two strands of DNA break it can result in “mutations, chromosome aberrations, ...
Cancer is a disease in which cells multiply out of control and gradually build a mass of tissue called a tumor. There has been a large amount of research dedicated to the treatment and cure of cancer. Several types of treatments have been developed. The following are just some of the major examples of cancer therapy: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic therapy, biorhythms, unconventional treatments, and hyperthermia. Each type of treatment is discussed in detail below.
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the worlds largest non-profit organization which funds blood cancer research and providing patient services and education. The LLS mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma and myeloma and to improve quality of patients and there families. This is done by discovering new cures and making blood cancers a story of the past.The organizations national office is located in White Plains, NY. Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has local chapters through out the United States and Canada.
For cancer patients there are several treatment options. Surgery can remove cancerous tumors, chemotherapy uses drugs for treatment, and radiation therapy. The doctor in charge of the patient’s treatment may also choose to use radiation therapy. “Radiation
“The word 'leukemia' is a very frightening word. In many instances, it's a killer and it's something that you have to deal with in a very serious and determined way if you're going to beat it” - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Many people, including tons of children, fight leukemia every day trying to beat this vicious cancer. Without knowing how leukemia is exactly caused, it puts a damper on how to avoid it.
Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. It begins in the bone marrow, the soft tissue inside the bones. Within the bone marrow is where white blood cells are created, that help fight off bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms within the body that cause infections. The disease develops to when the white blood cells are being produced out of control. The cells that are being produced do not work properly as they should, they grow faster than a normal cell would and don’t know when to stop growing. Overtime, if not treated properly, the white blood cells will over crowd blood cells, creating a serious problem such as anemia, bleeding and infection. Leukemia cells can spread to the lymph nodes and other organs in the body causing swelling and pain.
The emphasis on health and fitness has become paramount in our society today in an effort to prevent and combat diseases such as Cancers. Cancers are a group of over 100 diseases that affects every aspect of the human system from skin, to bones, to muscles, to blood. One of the most common blood disorders is Leukemia. As defined by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Leukemia is a type of blood cancer that begins in the bone marrow. The bone marrow is the soft tissue in the center of the bone that is responsible for the production of blood cells. The term leukemia means white blood. The term leukocytes refer to white blood cells, which are body’s defense against infections and other foreign substances. When Leukemia occurs there is an uncontrolled increase in the number of white blood cells. When this occurs, these cancerous cells inhibit the production of healthy red blood cells, platelets, and mature white blood cells. Over time the cancerous cells can spread to the bloodstream and lymph nodes. They can also travel to the Central Nervous System and the rest of the body.
Chronic Myeloid leukemia (CML) is a blood and bone marrow disease that slowly progresses. The disease usually occurs in middle aged or older individuals and rarely occurs in children. In CML, an unusually high number of blood stem cells become granulocytes. These granulocytes, also called leukemia cells are irregular in shape and do not develop into healthy white blood cells. Eventually, they concentrate in the blood leaving no room for healthy cells which may lead to infection, anemia, or bleeding. The typical signs of CML include fatigue, fever, night sweats, and weight loss (6).
"What are the treatments for cancer?." A.D.A.M. Life's Greatest Mysteries. 2001. eLibrary. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.
How is it used/benefits? Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) restores stem cells that have been destroyed by high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. One reason BMT is used in cancer treatment is to make it possible for patients to receive very high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy generally affect cells that divide rapidly. They are used to treat cancer because cancer cells divide more often than most healthy cells. However, because bone marrow cells also divide frequently, high-dose treatments can severely damage or destroy the patient’s bone marrow. Without hea...
Kanwar, V.S. (2013, Sep 16). Diseases & Conditions - Medscape Reference. Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Retrieved January 13, 2014, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/990113-overview#a0156