LEUKEMIA

All of the different “types” of cancer can be deadly, that’s a given. Even though survival rates tend to be much higher nowadays than they were perhaps twenty years ago, the fact is that a diagnosis of cancer can still be a death sentence and this is especially so when it affects the most vital components of the body.
One such type of cancer that falls into this category is cancer of the blood, more commonly known as leukemia. Many people may not think of it this way, but, in simple terms, blood is the most important tissue of the body.
It is effectively the conduit that connects all the other organs and tissues of the body together, carrying and supplying oxygen and other vital elements to even the remotest parts of the body. Bloods importance to the body cannot be over estimated.
So, the most dangerous feature of leukemia is that is attacks the blood which then has access to all of the bodies other organs, including the all brain, heart, kidneys and liver. Thus, the cancerous cells are spread throughout the body by the very blood that is normally the key to good health, in a leukemia sufferer.
To take this analogy one stage further, blood cancer specifically targets the leukocytes or the “white blood corpuscles” of the blood, which are the very ones that usually protect the body from external infections. Thus, the body’s immunity from, or resistance to, external infections is dramatically reduced in a leukemia sufferer. Such blood cancer causes the body to produce infected and abnormal cells that hinder the function of blood (i.e. the transport of oxygen around the body) rather than helping it.
It is common for a leukemia sufferer to become anemic, and to lose weight, because the cancerous cells are unable to adequately the hemoglobin, the body’s chief source of iron.
As a consequence, the blood cancer patient tends to lose all vitality and energy, and becomes especially vulnerable, because the infected blood tends to cause the brain to start to malfunction to some extent.
Exposure to raised levels of radiation is a prime proven cause of leukemia. Likewise, children born with Downs Syndrome have a raised probability of suffering blood cancer, and benzene (an industrial hydro-carbon) is also cited as a cause.
However, the slightly better news is that the abnormal cells are easily detected under the microscope, and a timely bone marrow examination should confirm these microscopic tests.
Chemotherapy, whilst it can be extremely painful, is nevertheless still the most effective method of killing the cancerous cells, although any patient undergoing such treatment should be prepared to have to ingest an unholy alliance of chemicals that he (or she) needs to take.
Similarly, radiotherapy can be effective also, with various unpleasant side effects, such as hair loss and poor skin quality whilst undergoing treatment.
Although it is undoubtedly one of the most deadly forms of cancer, leukemia is nevertheless treatable and indeed curable, and extensive research into more effective treatment is a constantly ongoing fact.
Methods like a bone marrow transplant, which may be required at a later stage, are also effective in treating the patient.

By: stevec

TREAT FOR LEUKEMIA

Treating leukemia can be a complex and difficult task. Certain factors must be taken in to calculation if a proper treatment is to be administered and to take affect. The treatment varies from person to person depending on their state of health, immune system and many other facts. Also the appropriate treatment must chosen for each type of leukemia. Other factors like the severity of the disease or precedent treatments must also be taken in to consideration.

The best of ways in witch to treat leukemia is under medical supervision preferable at a specialized location or treatment center. Doctors should take immediate action if this is not possible, the treatment of the patient being of the utmost importance. General info and new updated treatments can also be found if one contacts the Cancer Information Service.
In the case of acute leukemia help is required right away, a remission of the disease being needed if the patient is to ever improve. The fact is that acute leukemia can be cured; in order to be shore about it more therapy is needed if a come back is to be avoided.

In chronic leukemia ( where symptoms in patients are a whole lot milder) immediate e treatment is not always needed, although it would be wise to have regular check ups with the doctor. Giving a proper treatment and giving it on time would certainly control the symptoms of the disease and of course the disease its self. The sad thing about chronic leukemia is that unlike acute leukemia it can be seldom be cured.

Families are advised to know and find out the best they can about the disease in order to understand it and play an active role along side doctors in treating and curing it. Clinical trials are available and can be taken in order to improve the treatment of cancer in people. Finding out that a person has this awful disease is always a shock to ones family, stress naturally being the next thing to happen. Being overwhelmed by this feeling the patient can find it difficult to ask the proper questions or to remember everything that a doctor tell or advice him. The best thing to do in this situations is to calm down and properly think of the actions and steps that must be taken in order to fight the disease.

Most often certain questions are asked by the patients. What type of leukemia it is their dealing with and what the treatment may be are some of the more frequent asked. What the benefits and also the side effects would be if a certain treatment were to be applied.

For all this questions the doctor would be the most appropriate person to ask.

By: Groshan Fabiola

LYMPHOMA IS ANOTHER SILENT KILLER

The human body is a complicated yet marvelous conglomeration of physical, emotional, and spiritual aspect. Among the three, the physical aspect is the most critical and the most perilous element in the concept of one's well being. That's why many people regard health as a very risky aspect of life, that when taken for granted, can be life-threatening.

Today, there are many diseases of the body that remains undocumented or lack of more information regarding the subject matter. This, in turn, result to an increase in morbidity rate because many people does not even know they have them. One good example is lymphoma.

The term lymphoma refers to a chief swelling of the lymphatic tissue brought about by the cancerous overgrowth of one of the lymphatic cells. That's why most refer lymphoma as one kind of cancer.

Lymphoma generally starts from the lymph nodes where most lymphatic tissues can be found. Like cancer cells, they generate and multiply, affecting other lymphatic cells and eventually shows a definite tendency for other lymph nodes to be affected. Thus, the most common clinical characteristic of lymphoma is lymph node enlargement.

However, lymphatic tissues are not generally confined in the lymph nodes. There are, in fact, numerous lymph follicles along the walls of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, in the spleen, liver, bone marrow, lungs, and skin. In this case, all of the mentioned organs are also susceptible to malignant lymphomas. Lymphoma is said to be malignant when its symptoms tend to become progressively worse, which, in most cases, result to death.

Generally, malignant lymphoma can be classified as either Hodgkin's or Non-Hodgkin's disease.

Hodgkin's disease, like other lymphoma, originates in the lymphatic system and evolves predominantly in the lymph nodes. Clinical surveys show that Hodgkin's disease may occur at all ages, and in both sexes equally.

A Hodgkin's disease basically spreads from its original location, usually a single node, to the next lymph node through the lymphatic channels. In turn, it now becomes the site of tumor growth.

This classification of lymphoma has four stages to consider. This is very important when treating lymphoma because the treatment of a Hodgkin's patient is relative to the extent and activity of the disease.

Basically, lymphoma is limited to a single node and some nearby structures during stage one. On stage two, the disease already involves more than a single node but is still confined to one side of the diaphragm only.

Stage three suggests the presence of multiple nodes in both the upper and lower diaphragm. Though, at this stage it is not yet extended beyond the lymph node or to the other parts of the body such as the spleen. On stage four, the disease has already reached the bone marrow, lungs, skin, gastrointestinal tract, or the liver. It is in stage four that a patient is said to be on a very critical condition.

On the other hand, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma disease affects the blood forming tissue of the body. It resembles the clinical manifestations of an acute leukemia, in which its origin and principal location is in the bone marrow.

In both cases of lymphoma, the disease is usually treated with the use of radiotherapy. Use of corticosteroids was also reported to be equally effective during the treatment.

Treating patients with lymphoma basically requires supportive and protective measures including the correction of anemia. It is also a must to employ control of infection to patients with lymphoma because they are very vulnerable to such conditions. This can be done through chemotherapy and other secondary measures.

Hydration and nutrition are equally vital and must be absolutely furnished to patients with lymphoma. It is because patients suffering from the disease usually lose their appetite completely. This may result to more complications of the disease if taken for granted.

However, it doesn't mean that a person with lymphoma have no higher chances of recovery. In fact, many patients with the non-Hodgkin's type of lymphoma can be cured, with more chances of getting back to shape as compared to those who have Hodgkin's disease.

Though, in reality, it's still God's will that shall prevail. So if, together with your physical aspect, you get spiritually sick, chances are you are most likely in the losing end.

Leukemia article brought to you by Michael Sampson

TYPES OF LEUKEMIA

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood. The first organs in which it appears are the lypmh and the bone marrow, but it can quickly spread in the whole body through the blood. Leukemia occurs when the organs mentioned above start to produce too many white blood cells, saturating the body with them. Furthermore, the white blood cells are defective and they can't protect the body from infections like they are supposed to, so a person suffering from leukemia is very sensitive to bacteria and viruses.

Leukemia is a very complex disease, which has many forms and which is also hard to treat. The treatment depends on what type of leukemia the patient has. There are two main types of leukemia, acute leukemia and chronic leukemia.

Chronic leukemia is leukemia that is still in an early phase. Not all the white blood cells are abnormal, some can still protect the body against infections, and it can be treated with a higher chance of success. Unfortunately, in many cases chronic leukemia presents no symptoms so it's harder to detect it.

Acute leukemia is an advanced form of the cancer. There are no more normal white blood cells in a person with acute leukemia. Moreover, the number of defective blood cells keeps increasing. Acute leukemia advances very quickly.

The doctors also divide the blood cancer into two more categories, depending on what type of blood cells are affected. There are myeloid blood cells and lymphoid blood cells. When the lymphoid blood cells are affected the illness is called lymphocytic leukemia and when the myeloid ones are abnormal it's called myelogenous leukemia.

Therefore if we combine the four types we get:

-chronic lymphocytic leukemia - it affects people over 60 years of age usually and it is treated with chemotherapy

-acute lymphocytic leukemia - affects many children, usually under 6 years old. It spreads very quickly and it is treated with chemotherapy, but the survival rate is lower.

-chronic myelogenous leukemia - this form affects middle aged people, and the treatment is successful in most cases. It is treated with imatinib mesylate and chemotherapy.

-acute myeloid (myelogenous) leukemia - affects adults and it's also treated with chemotherapy. The younger the patient is the higher the survival chance.

It is important to determine what type of leukemia a patient has, because the treatments vary. For more information on this topic and to find out more about the treatment that corresponds to each leukemia type you should consult your local doctor.

Leukemia article brought to you by Groshan Fabiola

LEUKEMIA IS DANGEROUS OF CANCER

Leukemia is a dangerous form of cancer, and it affects thousands of people every year. It affects the white blood cells. The body loses control of the quantity and quality of blood cells, and it becomes very vulnerable because the white blood cells are supposed to protect our organism against infections. There are two main types of leukemia - acute leukemia and chronic leukemia. Acute leukemia is more dangerous because it spreads much faster, but chronic leukemia can be tricky because it has almost no symptoms.

The first organ that is affected by chronic leukemia is the bone marrow. The bone marrow is a tissue that can be found on some of the main bones in the body and that has the role of producing blood cells (red blood cells and white blood cells).
White blood cells are the guardians of the body. They can be found anywhere in the blood and they attack and neutralize any type of bacteria that enters the body and that can be harmful.

When a patient has chronic leukemia, the white blood cells from his blood are deffective and they are continuously created. A normal person should have less then 10000 white blood cells white a person with leukemia can have more than 100000, but although there are so many the protection against infections is decreased because most of the cells are malfunctioning.
A particularity of chronic leukemia is that patients who have it also have a lower number of red blood cells.

The causes of all types of leukemia are unknown, doctors cannot determine why some people have this illness and other don't. Though, scientists discovered some factors that increase the risks of becoming ill of leukemia. Among these factors radiations play an important role, many that were exposed to radiations were soon diagnosed with leukemia. Also, a malfunction in the genes can cause the blood cells to transform, so it can have a genetic cause. The causes and risk factors are still being researched.

The bad thing about chronic leukemia is that it usually shows no symptoms that can give he patient an idea about his condition. It's often discovered during routine lab tests. Some of those suffering from chronic leukemia reported having a general state of weakness and fatigue. As the disease advances blood can start to come out of the nose or of the gums for no reason, and because the organism is weakened and its defense is lowered, leukemia patients can be vruised very easy, and they are often infected with foreign microorganism.

Chronic leukemia treatment depends on each patient. After the diagnose a series of tests are made to determine which therapy the patient responds to. Chemotherapy is used in most situations. The number of people that are cured of chronic leukemia is increasing as time passes, but a there is a notable number of victims too.

New drugs and cures keep being researched by doctors and scientists and the survival rate is rising, so maybe in the near future chronic leukemia will be musc easier to treat.
Leukemia article brought to you by Groshan Fabiola