Maintaining good health is the priority of many people or, well, at least it is for patients diagnosed with cancer, who try to follow their treatments to the letter in order to extend their quality of life. more than they can.
And it is not easy to receive the news that you have some type of cancer, especially because of the complexity that surrounds this condition and the process that it implies for those who must learn to live with it.
This is the case with leukemia or any other type of blood-associated cancer. According to the United States National Library of Medicine, Medline Plus, Leukemia is understood as cancer that takes place in blood cells, causing them to form abnormally, especially altering the functioning of healthy cells in the body.
Among the characteristics of this disease is that it has multiple variants, depending on the type of blood cell that is affected by the condition, as well as its severity. Thus, they explain from Medline Plus, if the cancer infects white blood cells, it is considered a lymphocyte type, while when “immature cells that become white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets” are produced, it is against myeloid cells, as indicated.
Now, depending on the progress of the disease, that is, if it is accelerated or slow, it can be classified between acute and chronic, they add from Mayo Clinic.
Putting these characteristics together, then, there are four classes of leukemia:
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia.
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
- Acute myelogenous leukemia.
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia.
In adults, one of the most common types is acute myelogenous leukemia, also named only by its initials as AML. From the American Association of Clinical Oncology they share the symptoms that people who are diagnosed with this condition usually present, which could contribute to identifying this disease in time and treating it correctly.
The signals that the body presents are diverse, they can range from general weakness or fatigue, to the appearance of infections constantly. As it is a complex condition, it is suggested that if one or more symptoms are verified, go to the doctor to rule out the existence of a possible cancer.
Among the signs considered alert for the entity are listed:
- Appearance of bruises.
- Bleeding difficult to stop.
- Respiratory problems.
- Excessive prolongation of the menstrual cycle.
- Headache.
- Pale appearance of the skin.
- Swollen or bleeding gums.
- Pain in the abdominal area.
- Dizziness and nausea.
Faced with the diagnosis of this condition, it is common to also wonder about the chances of surviving it. The good news in this regard is that there are some treatments that can alleviate certain symptoms and even offer a better quality of life, but this is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
from the hospital Memorial Sloan Kettering They indicate that some options for blood cancer patients are chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy treatment and hematopoietic stem cell transplants, that is, they can be formed like any type of blood cell, or bone marrow transplant.
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Risk factors for the development of this disease are considered, according to Mayo Clinic; a genetic history of cancer, genetic disorders, being subjected to treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy on previous occasions, exposure to chemicals such as benzene.
In case of any concern, It will always be suggested to go to the doctor, since in no way this article replaces the indications of a professional in the field.