Signs and Symptoms of Leukemia - Warning Signs of Leukemia

Leukemia is the overproduction of blood cells that are abnormal or “stuck” in an early stage of the maturation process. These leukemia cells are non functional and are unable to do the job of healthy, mature blood cells. In addition, their presence in the bone marrow crowds and prevents the ability of normal blood forming cells to do their jobs. This leads to the signs and symptoms of leukemia.

When acute leukemia is diagnosed, there are usually already a large and rapidly growing number of leukemia cells. Signs and symptoms may have been present for less than three months, or even as little as a few days.

Because chronic leukemia develops much more slowly and produces cells that are more functional than acute leukemia, signs and symptoms may arise over a very long period of time, or not at all. In fact, many cases of chronic leukemia are found by chance during routine check ups.

The most common symptoms of leukemia are vague and non-specific. As a result, they are often explained away by the patient as “coming down with something” or getting “run down.” 

The most common symptoms of leukemia include:

• Feeling weak, tired or generally unwell. In most cases, this is caused by a decreased number of red blood cells in the bloodstream, or anemia. This prevents adequate oxygen being transported to your tissues and muscles, leaving your body feeling fatigued and weak.
• Frequent Infections. Leukemia cells are not only abnormal or too underdeveloped to help your body fight off infection, they also inhibit the ability of the bone marrow to produce healthy white blood cells. As a result, people affected by leukemia are very prone to developing infections. Common sites of infection include the mouth and throat, skin, lungs, urinary tract or bladder, or the area around the anus.
• Unexplained Fevers. In some cases, leukemia cells can cause your body to release chemicals that stimulate your brain to raise your body temperature. Fevers can also be caused by an infection.
• Abnormal Bruising or Excessive Bleeding. The abnormal production of leukemia cells prevents the bone marrow from making adequate numbers of healthy blood cells, such as platelets. Platelets are fragments of cells that clump together and stop or slow bleeding when an injury occurs to a blood vessel. When there are insufficient platelets or thrombocytopenia, bleeding may occur in the form of nosebleeds, heavy menstrual bleeding, bleeding gums, bruises and tiny red spots under the skin called “petechiae” (pet-eek-ee-eye).
• Bone and Joint Pain. Bone and joint pain is most common in areas where there is a large amount of bone marrow, such as the pelvis (hips) or breastbone (sternum). This is caused by the crowding of the marrow with excessive numbers of abnormal white blood cells.
• Enlarged Lymph Nodes. Sometimes, leukemia cells can accumulate in the lymph nodes and cause them to become swollen and tender.

Symptoms of Leukemia depend on how much the cancer has grown and may include:

  Fevers and night sweats.

  Frequent or unusual infections.

  Bruising of the skin and bleeding from the gums or rectum.

  Bone pain.

  Swelling in the belly or pain on the left side of the belly or radiating pain in the left shoulder from a swollen spleen.

  Decreased appetite and weight loss because you feel full and don't want to eat.

Treatmentof Leukemia at World Best Hospitals in India

Chemotherapy : Chemotherapy may be given as pills or by injection. Chemotherapy drugs interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread, but they also damage healthy cells. Although healthy cells can recover over time, you may experience side effects from your treatment like nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, hair loss and an increased risk of infection.

Radiation Therapy : It uses high doses of radiation, such as X-rays, to destroy cancer cells. Radiation is usually given from a machine outside the body that directs radiation to the cancer (external radiation). Radiation is also used to treat acute leukemia that has spread to the brain and spinal cord.

Stem Cell Transplant : Some people with leukemia receive a stem cell transplant. A stem cell transplant allows you to be treated with high doses of drugs, radiation, or both. The high doses destroy both leukemia cells and normal blood cells in the bone marrow. Before high-dose chemotherapy is given, stem cells will be taken from you or from a donor whose bone marrow is a close match to your own. Soon after the chemotherapy treatment, the stem cells are put back into your blood. Within a few weeks, the new stem cells will start to make blood cells.

Biological Therapy : Biological therapy uses your immune system to fight cancer or to help control side effects of other cancer treatments. Natural body substances or drugs made from natural body substances are used to boost the body’s own defences against illness.
Targeted Therapy : Targeted therapies use drugs that attack specific types of cancer cells without damaging healthy cells. Cancer growth inhibitors are a type of targeted therapy.

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