Leukemia (blood cancer) is a type of cancer that attacks white blood cells produced by bone marrow (bone marrow). Bone marrow or bone marrow in the human body produces three types of blood cells including white blood cell (functioning as an immune system against infection), red blood cell (function to bring oxygen into the body) and platelets (small pieces of blood cells that help blood clotting process ).
Leukemia is generally appear in person since the days of childhood, the bone marrow without obvious cause has been known to produce white blood cells do not develop normal or abnormal. Normally, white blood cells to reproduce again when the body needs or there is a place for the blood cell itself. The human body will give signs / signals on a regular basis when will the blood cell-reproduction is expected to be back.
In cases of leukemia (blood cancer), white blood cells do not respond to the sign / signal is given. Finally, the production of excessive uncontrolled (abnormal) will be out of the bone marrow and can be found in the peripheral blood or peripheral blood. The number of abnormal white blood cells is in excess can disrupt the normal function of other cells, A person with this condition (leukemia) will show some symptoms like; susceptible to infectious diseases, anemia and bleeding.
Acute Leukemia and Chronic Disease
Acute leukemia is characterized by a very rapid course of the disease, lethal, and worse. If this is not immediately treated, it can cause death within weeks to the day. While chronic leukemia have a disease course that is not so fast that it has a longer life expectancy, up to more than 1 year.
Leukemias are classified based on the type of cells
When the examination is known that leukemia affects the lymphocytes or lymphoid cells, it is called lymphocytic leukemia. While the leukemia that affects myeloid cells such as neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils, is called myelogenous leukemia.
From this classification, the Leukemia is divided into four types of designation; 1. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Is the most common type of leukemia in children. The disease is also present in adults who primarily have 65 years of age or older. 2. Acute myelogenous leukemia (LMA). This is more common in adults than children. This type was formerly called nonlimfositik acute leukemia. 3. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (LLK). It is often suffered by adults older than 55 years. Sometimes it also affects young adults, and almost none in children. 4. Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) often occurs in adults. May also occur in children, but very little.
Causes of Leukemia
Until now the cause of leukemia is not known with certainty, but there are some factors suspected to affect the frequency of occurrence of leukemia. 1. Radiation. This is supported by several reports from several research dealing with cases of leukemia that the The radiology staff more often suffer from leukemia, Penerita with radiotherapy more often suffer from leukemia, leukemia incidence was found in atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
2. Leukemogenik. Several chemicals have been identified are reported to affect the frequency of leukemia, such as environmental toxins such as benzene, inustri chemicals such as insecticides, drugs used for chemotherapy.
3. Hereditary. People with Down Syndrome have acute leukemia incidence 20 times greater than normal people.
4. Virus. Some types of viruses can cause leukemia, such as retroviruses, feline leukemia virus, HTLV-1 in adults.
Signs and Symptoms of Leukemia
Leukemia Symptoms caused generally differs among patients, however, can generally be described as follows: 1. Anemia. Patients would appear tired, pale and breathing fast (red blood cells below normal causing less oxygen in the body, resulting in the patient breathes faster to compensate for the fulfillment of oxygen deficiency in the body).
2. Bleeding. When the platelets (blood clotting cells) are not reproduced with reasonable because it is dominated by white blood cells, then the patient will experience bleeding skin dijaringan (number of red wiggler width / minor skin dijaringan).
3. Esophageal Infections. White blood cells act as protective immunity, especially against infectious diseases. In Patients with leukemia, white blood cells that diterbentuk is not normal (abnormal) so it does not function properly. As a result the body of the patient vulnerable to viral infection / bacteria, even by itself would reveal complaints of fever, white discharge from the nose (runny) and cough.
4. Bones and joints pain. This is caused as a result of bone marrow (bone marrow) urged the solid by white blood cells.
5. Stomach pain. Abdominal pain is also one indication of the symptoms of leukemia, where the leukemia cells may collect in the kidneys, liver and bile that causes enlargement of these organs and timbulah pain. Abdominal pain can impact the loss of appetite leukemia patients.
6. Swollen glands lympa. Patients likely to experience swelling of the glands lympa, whether it is under the arms, neck, chest and others. Lympa duty gland filter blood, leukemia cells can accumulate here and cause swelling.
7. Difficulty breathing (dyspnea). The patient may show symptoms of difficulty breathing and chest pain, if this happens then it should immediately get medical help.
Diagnosis of Leukemia (Blood Cancer)
Leukemia can be ascertained with some checks, such as: Biopsy, Blood {complete blood count (CBC)}, a CT or CAT scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray, Ultrasound, Spinal tap / lumbar puncture.
Handling and Treatment of Leukemia
Handling cases of leukemia disease usually starts from the symptoms that arise, such as anemia, bleeding and infection. Broadly speaking, the handling and treatment of leukemia can be done by a single or a combination of several methods below:
1. Chemotherapy / intrathecal medications 2. Radiation Therapy. This method is very rarely used 3. Transplantation of bone marrow (bone marrow) 4. Provision of drugs and hypodermic tablets 5. Transfusion of red blood cells or platelets.
Therapy Systems are often used in dealing with patients with leukemia is a combination of chemotherapy (chemotherapy) and the provision of drugs that focuses on the dismissal of the production of abnormal white blood cells in bone marrow. Next is the handling of some symptoms and signs have been displayed by the patient's body with a comprehensive monitor.
