Last Updated on July 11, 2024 by Asfa Rasheed
Blood cancers are among the most dangerous and aggressive types of cancer, like any other type they start in a specific area. Unlike many other forms that can affect many organs or tissues throughout your body, blood-based tumors generally show up where there’s no one else has – specifically with regards to bone marrow (the part responsible for making new red cells). Consult with one of the best oncologists in the city at BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital for any cancer related query.
Cancer is caused by cells that grow too quickly. If this growth occurs in your bone marrow, it may lead to blood cancer like leukemia or lymphoma because the excess white blood cells will be toxic for other parts of your body and cause more harm there instead if left unchecked.
Blood cancers are one of the most devastating types. They can affect any part of the body that is made up mostly or exclusively by blood cells, including bone marrow – this spongy tissue inside bones where they make new ones.
These diseases change how well these cells behave to what they need for survival or invasion–a process by which cancerous tumors grow outwards from their original site in order to spread throughout one’s body.
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There are three types of blood cancers:
Leukemias –
One of the most common types of leukemia is acute lymphoblastic leukemia or ALL. This cancer affects white blood cells and can make them grow too quickly for their own good; this leads to infections becoming more dangerous because they’re not able to fight back against these microbes on time.
Lymphoma-
The lymph system is a network of vessels that stores and carries white blood cells to fight infections. This Network includes your lymph nodes, spleen (a big pink desert island), and thymus gland in charge of generating an immune response from T-cells.
Myelomas-
Myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow. These white blood cells make antibodies that fight off infections; however, they can’t fight against Myelomas because these cancers produce too many chemicals called cytokines which disrupt an individual’s immune system and thus makes them prone to any illness or infection without immunity.
These diseases affect different white blood cells in your body which function poorly due to the production by bone marrow or lymphatic system for them not working at their best capacity; however, they all act differently from one another depending on what type it is (leukemia affecting both reds and blues while Lymphoma only affects B cell).
Symptoms of blood cancer vary by disease but typically include the following:
- Fever
- Chills
- Fatigue and weakness due to increased workload in your body from fighting off this abnormal cell growth.
- Bone or joint pain can also be a result of having anemia caused by low hemoglobin levels which leads to less oxygen being absorbed into cells during physical activity.
While the exact cause of blood cancer is unknown, there are a number many factors that can lead to its onset. Some causes include:
- Aging and/or getting older (elderly)
- Having family members with a history
- Weak immune system
- Certain infections
Treatment will depend on the type of blood cancer you have, your age, how quickly cancer grows, and whether or not cancer has spread to other parts of your body. While treatments for blood cancer have improved dramatically over the past decades, many types of blood cancer are now highly treatable. Common treatments are:
- Chemotherapy: Anti-cancer drugs are introduced into the body (by injection into the vein or sometimes by taking a pill) to kill and stop the production of cancer cells.
- Radiation therapy: This form of cancer treatment uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells.
- Targeted therapies: This form of cancer treatment uses drugs that specifically kill malignant blood cells without damaging normal cells. Targeted therapies are most often used to treat leukemia.
- Stem Cell Transplant: Healthy stem cells can be infused into your body to help resume healthy blood production after treatment to destroy malignant blood cells.
- Cancer surgery: This treatment involves the removal of the affected lymph nodes to treat certain lymphomas.
- Immunotherapy: This treatment activates the immune system to specifically kill cancer cells.
The cost of blood cancer treatment in India varies depending on the following few factors: admission fee, oncologist Fee (physician), age of patient, severity, and type. The medical condition they are going through all play a role while determining what kind or types may be performed during their stay at an Indian hospital along with post-procedure complications that can happen afterward too.
80% of people diagnosed with blood cancer have a high chance of cure, and this rate even goes up to 90%. The good news is that the rate of curability for blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma has been improving due to years of research.
