leukemia early symptoms | Acute and chronic leukemia: comparison and support

Acute and chronic leukemia: comparison and support

Acute and chronic leukemia: What are the differences?
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood. It forms when the blood cells in the bone marrow malfunction and form cancerous cells. The cancerous blood cells then invade normal blood cells. This interferes with the body's ability to fight infections, control bleeding and provide oxygen to normal cells. Cancer cells can also invade the spleen, liver and other organs.

Acute and chronic leukemia

Chronic leukemia is a slow-growing leukemia. Acute leukemia is a fast-growing leukemia that progresses rapidly without treatment.
Signs and symptoms of chronic leukemia
Chronic leukemia develops slowly, and early symptoms can be mild and go unnoticed. Acute leukemia develops rapidly. That's because cancer cells multiply rapidly.

Chronic leukemia is most often diagnosed after a routine blood test. You may have low-level symptoms for years before being diagnosed. Symptoms can be vague and may occur due to many other medical conditions. Signs and symptoms may include:
General feelings of discomfort, such as fatigue, bone and joint pain or shortness of breath
Weight loss
A loss of appetite
A fever
Sweats
Anemia
Infections
Bruising or bleeding, such as nosebleed
Hypertrophied lymph nodes that are not painful
A complete pain or feeling in the upper left abdomen, where the spleen is
Signs and symptoms of acute leukemia
The common signs and symptoms of acute leukemia are:
Low number of white blood cells
Infections
Fatigue that does not disappear with rest
Shortness
Pale skin
Sweating at night
A slight fever
Bruise easily
Bone and joint pain
Slow healing of cuts
Small red dots under the skin
The causes
No one knows the cause of leukemia or why some people have chronic leukemia and others have an acute form of disease. Environmental and genetic factors are supposed to be involved.

Leukemia can occur because of changes in the DNA of your cells. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) can also be associated with a genetic mutation called the Philadelphia chromosome. This mutation of the gene is not inherited.

Some studies show that a combination of genetic and environmental factors are involved in childhood leukemia. Some children may not have inherited the particular version of genes that can get rid of harmful chemicals. Exposure to these chemicals may increase their risk of leukemia.
Risk Factors
There are potential risk factors for different types of leukemia, but it is possible to contract leukemia even if you do not have any of the known risk factors. The experts still do not understand much about leukemia.
Some developmental factors for chronic leukemia include:
To be over 60 years old
Be Caucasian
Exposure to chemicals such as benzene or Agent Orange
Exposure to high levels of radiation
Some risk factors for developing acute leukemia include:
Smoking cigarettes
Have chemotherapy and radiation therapy for other cancers
Exposure to very high radiation levels
Have genetic anomalies, such as Down syndrome
Having a brother with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
Having one or more of these risk factors does not mean you will have the how is leukemia diagnosed?
All types of leukemia are diagnosed by examining blood samples and bone marrow. A full globular count will show the levels and types of:
White cells
Leukemic cells
Red blood cells
Platelets
Bone marrow and other tests will give your doctor more information about your blood to confirm a diagnosis of leukemia. Your doctor can also look at a blood smear under a microscope to see the shape of the cells. Other tests can develop your blood cells to help your doctor identify changes in chromosomes or genes.
Treatments
Your treatment plan will depend on the type of leukemia you have and its advanced stage at the time of your diagnosis. You may want to get a second opinion before starting the treatment. It is important to understand what your treatment choices are and what you can expect.
Chronic leukemia
Chronic leukemia is slowly progressing. You may not be diagnosed until symptoms, such as lymph nodes, appear. Chemotherapy, corticosteroids and monoclonal antibodies can be used to control cancer. Your doctor may use blood transfusion and platelet transfusion to treat the reduction of red blood cells and platelets. Radiation can help reduce the size of your lymph nodes.

If you have CML and you also have the Philadelphia chromosome, your doctor may treat you with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ITK). ITK blocks the protein produced by the Philadelphia chromosome. They can also use stem cell therapy to replace the cancerous bone marrow with a healthy bone marrow.
Acute leukemia
People with acute leukemia usually start treatment quickly after a diagnosis. This is because cancer can progress quickly. Treatment may include chemotherapy, targeted therapy or stem cell therapy, depending on the type of acute leukemia you have.

The treatment of acute leukemia is usually very intense at first. The main purpose of the treatment is to kill the leukemic cells. Hospitalization is sometimes necessary. Treatment often causes side effects.

Your doctor will routinely perform blood and bone marrow tests to determine the extent to which your treatment kills leukemic cells. They can try different drug mixes to see what works best.

Once your blood has returned to normal, your leukemia will be in remission. Your doctor will continue to test you in case the cancer cells return.

What are the prospects?

Each type of leukemia is different and will require a different treatment. The perspectives are also unique to the type of leukemia you have and how advanced it is when you start the treatment. Other factors that will affect your Outlook are:

Your age

Your overall health

How much leukemia has spread in your body

How much you respond to the treatment

Survival rates for leukemia have improved dramatically over the last 50 years. New medications and new types of treatments continue to be developed.

Your doctor will give you your point of view based on the results of leukemia research in recent years. These statistics are based on people who have had your type of leukemia, but each person is different. Try not to focus too much on these types of statistics if you receive a diagnosis of leukemia. Your prospects will depend on your age, your general health and the stage of your leukemia. Here are five-year survival rates for people with different types of leukemia in the United States from 2005 to 2011:

CML: 63.2%

CLL: 84.8%

All: 70.1% overall and 91.2% in the case of under-15

LAM or Acute myeloid leukemia: 26% overall and 66.5% among those under 15 years of age

The prospects for people with any type of leukemia will continue to improve as research progresses. Researchers in many ongoing clinical trials are testing new treatments for each type of leukemia.

The prevention

No early detection of leukemia is available. If you have risk factors and symptoms, ask your doctor for blood tests.

It is important to keep copies of your treatments, dates and medications used. These will help you and your future doctors if your cancer comes back.

The experts have not found a way to prevent leukemia. Being proactive and telling your doctor if you notice any symptoms of leukemia can improve your chances of healing.