Posts Tagged ‘Acute Myelogenous Leukemia’

Signs-Symptoms And Life-Expectation In Acute Leukemia

Comments: 0August 1st, 2011 by admin



First occurring signs in the development of acute forms of leukemia are bruising and bleedings caused by the decreased number of platelets, fatigue and pales due to the anemia caused by insufficient red blood cells, reoccurring infections and late healing due to abnormal number and function of white blood cells. These symptoms are however not specific for the Leukemia condition and for a precise diagnose further testing is required such as analysis of blood and bone marrow.

A certain cause of Leukemia is not yet known as it can affect persons of all ages and both sexes. A link however between leukemia and benzene prolonged exposure or high doses of radiations could be established. But most cases cannot be rationally explained.

The main target of the Leukemia treatment is to annihilate all existing abnormal cells in blood and bone marrow. A complete remission means no left trace of cancerous modifications. Some of the treated cases show a reoccurrence of the disease with other signs and symptoms. In acute leukemia forms, after five years of remission after treatment the patient can be qualified as cured and the condition rarely reoccurs.

In the last 25 years the percent of surviving subjects has increased due to new therapy ways. The overall five-year survival rate is 44% today, with significant progresses compared to the 1960′s rate of only 14%. The rate of survival differs by age, type of leukemia and previous health status. In the case of acute lymphocytic Leukemia the rate is 58%, in the chronic form it reaches 71%, in acute myelogenous Leukemia the rate is 14% and the chronic form reaches 32% five-year survival.

In present there are about 144000 patients suffering from Leukemia in the USA. The rate of survival in children suffering from acute lymphocytic leukemia is 81% if detected in early stage. For children diagnosed with acute myelogenic Leukemia the rate is 43%.

In 2001 about 12500 male subjects are known to have died from Leukemia and a lower number of 9500 women, in the United States. The estimated number of chronic lymphocytic deaths yet to occur is 4600 and 1400 from acute lymphocytic forms. Acute myelogenous Leukemia is expected to produce 7200 deaths and chronic myelogenous Leukemia about 2300 deaths. Other forms of leukemia will be responsible for approximately 600 death cases.

For males under 40 and for women less than 20 leukemia represents the main cause of death. The estimated rate of deaths in males of Leukemia is 25% higher than in females. The percent of death cases in children has decreased in the last 30 years but the rate still remains high.

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Leukemia Cancer – Everything You Need to Know

Comments: 0May 11th, 2011 by admin



Leukemia is generally considered and known as blood cancer, where as if considered in its real terms leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells and the platelets. These platelets actually help blood to clot. Additionally when the white blood cells reduce in amount they actually leave the immune system unlocked for attack and the patient sometimes die of a very usual illness like flu. In general the deficiency of normal white cells impairs the body’s ability to struggle against infections. A shortage of platelets results in bruising and easy bleeding whenever there is a need of clot to stop the flow of blood.

All kinds of various acute or chronic diseases of leukemia are dangerous. Acute leukemia being a swiftly succeeding disease affects typically cells that are embryonic or primitive (which means the cells that have not yet fully developed or differentiated from the others). These not fully formed cells thus cannot achieve their standard utility. These cells are described as “nonfunctional” because they do not work like normal cells. They also number out the usual normal healthy cells in the marrow, resulting in a decrease in the number of new healthy normal cells made in the marrow. These later results in low red cell counts which is a typical form of anemia.

On the other hand chronic leukemia develops gradually, and allows the development of larger amounts of more developed cells. In broader perspective, these more grown-up cells can achieve some of their typical functionality but due to the increase in the number of cells like white blood cells the blood flow may slow down and result in severe anemia.

The leukemia is categorized in to four basic categories which are as follows:

o Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
o Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
o Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
o Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

For acute leukemia following are the signs and symptoms of leukemia:

o Fatigue or tiredness
o Shortness of breath during physical activity
o Sluggish curing of cuts and excess bleeding
o Mild fever or night sweats
o Black-and-blue spots (bruises) for no evident cause
o Pinhead-size red spots under the skin
o Pale skin
o Low white cell counts
o Aches in bones or joints

As far as chronic leukemia is concerned people with CLL or CML may not have any symptoms. Some patients learn they have CLL or CML after a blood test as part of a usual checkup. Occasionally, a person with CLL may see enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, armpit or groin and go to the doctor. The person may feel exhausted or short of breath or have frequent infections, if the CLL is more severe. In these cases, a blood test may show an increase in the lymphocyte count.

A comprehensive blood count is utilized to make a diagnosis of leukemia. This blood examination may confirm high or low point of white cells and show leukemic cells within the blood. Sometimes, number of platelet and red cell are fairly low. Bone marrow tests like aspiration and biopsy are often carried out to verify the analysis and to glance for any chromosome irregularities. All these tests spot the leukemia and its cell category. These tests must be continued after regular intervals after treatment commences to gauge how sound the healing is.

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Childhood Leukemia

Comments: 0January 5th, 2011 by admin



Leukemia severely affects a person’s immune system; the disease is characterized by low levels of leukocytes of white blood cells, which play an important role in the body’s defenses against disease. This disease can lead to other complications such as infections. However, for people who already have compromised immune systems, such as children and the elderly, developing leukemia can have some severe effects and complications. For children, the effects of leukemia can be very pronounced because battling the disease can take a toll on their fragile bodies.

Types of childhood leukemia

Just like in adult leukemia, children who develop the disease suffer either from large numbers of abnormal white blood cells or low levels of the white blood cells. Among cancers in children, leukemia accounts for about 25% of cancer cases. There are also different types of leukemia among children, categorized into two major categories: acute and chronic. Acute leukemia, or rapidly developing leukemia, is further divided into two types: Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) and Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). Acute leukemia accounts for 98% of all cases of childhood leukemia, with ALL being the most common. Chronic leukemia, or slowly developing leukemia, has only one type, which is Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), and it is very rare.

Symptoms and Treatment

The symptoms that a child with leukemia exhibits are similar to the symptoms that adults with the disease exhibit. Mostly, the symptoms are manifestations that the child’s immune system is compromised, including increased episodes of fever and other infections. Children with leukemia also suffer from anemia and the other blood abnormalities found in most leukemia cases. In addition, other symptoms include bruising and bleeding very easily, pain in the bones and the joints, swollen lymph nodes, malaise, and a poor appetite.

Usually, ALL is treated with chemotherapy. However, the dosage differs from what is given to adults. The medication that is given during this therapy is very potent, which is why for children, smaller dosages are given.

The effects of leukemia can be very hard to deal with, especially for children whose immune systems can be severely compromised by the disease. However, statistics show that children with this disease exhibit some of the highest remission rates, which means that with proper treatment, the chance of beating this disease is very high among children.

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Myelodysplastia Syndrome Exposed

Comments: 0March 11th, 2010 by admin



Previously known as pre-leukemia, myelodyslastia syndrome is a haematological condition that is made up of the inefficient red blood cell production and a host of other health complications. A lot of people are unfamiliar with myelodysplastia syndrome’s details, although most know about leukemia, which is commonly the end-result of MDS.

MDS is an affliction of the bone marrow stem cell, which may result in ineffective and irregular blood production. This irregularity can result to irreversible problems in the blood-forming cells. The illness takes a course towards being chronic in most cases, and can slowly worsen because of steady bone failure. Research shows that an estimated 1/3 of the patients who have MDS can develop acute myelogenous leukemia within a couple of years of living with the condition.

Myelodysplastia Syndrome Diagnosis

According to researchers, the time of diagnosis for the myelodysplastia syndrome is on the average, between 60 and 75 years old. This disorder is more prevalent in males than in females, and is generally rare in children. Although a lot of the symptoms can lead to the detection of this condition, these are linked to other blood disorders; the symptoms are therefore not commonly linked to MDS until the later stages.

Some of myelodyspastia syndrome’s symptoms include:

* Neutropenia – An increased vulnerability to infection

* Anemia – Chronic shortness of breath, chest pain and fatigue

* Thrombocytopenia – Increased vulnerability to bleeding

It is estimated that 50 percent of MDS-related deaths occur as a result of infection or extensive bleeding. Researchers everywhere are still hard at work in trying to find a cure for myelodysplastia syndrome, and for now patients can only rely on the treatments. It should be noted, though, that the type of leukemia that develops from MDS is in particular extremely resistant to different kinds of treatment.

Myelodysplastia Syndrome Detection

Due to its common and general symptoms, MDS can often be wrongly diagnosed, which is the reason why doctors have to examine the blood film and do a full blood count. These steps are necessary to eliminate other possible causes of the symptoms, such as B12, HIV or hepatitis. Doctors also do chromosomal studies that require fresh specimens, inducing the live cells tested to magnify the chromosomal staining.

Myelodysplastia Syndrome Origins

One of the known causes of MDS has to do with environmental factors, specifically the exposure radiation and to the toxic chemical benzene. Secondary MDS can also arise in patients who experience late toxicity, as a result of prolonged exposure to cancer treatments. It is now proven that MDS is a result of the bone marrow stem cell mutations; however the abnormalities responsible for these mutations are yet to be fully understood.

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What Is Acute Myelogenous Leukemia?

Comments: 0June 30th, 2009 by admin



AML, (acute myelogenous leukemia), is an aggressive cancer of the bone marrow and blood. It is the most common type of leukemia. AML is also known by the following names-acute myeloblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, acute granulocytic leukemia or acute nonlymphocytic leukemia. Blood cells are malformed and useless. The cells can accumulate in parts of the body.

Acute myelogenous leukemia statistics

o Rare in people under 40 years old

o More common in men than in women

o Average age is 65 years old

o 5-year survival rate

o under 65 years old-33%

o over 65 years old-4%

o 2007 it is predicted there will be 13,000 cases (majority will be adults)

The symptoms of acute myelogenous leukemia include abnormal blood counts, a general run-down, unwell feeling that never gets better, reoccurring infections, swollen lymph nodes, and bone/ joint pain. Symptoms are acute (comes on suddenly, and accelerates quickly) instead of chronic (mild symptoms that gradually worsen over years).

When the malformed cells collect around parts of the body, it can cause skin, lung, central nervous system, kidney, and even testicle problems. Initially, acute myelogenous leukemia may mimic other conditions. Blood tests identify the possibility of AML. The final diagnosis is usually made after a bone marrow test and sometimes by a spinal tap, also known as a lumbar (lower spine) puncture (LP).

There are several types treatments available, one or more will be used to treat a dignosis of AML.

Chemotherapy-strong drugs taken orally or intravenously that kills the cancer cells. Occasionally it’s injected directly into the spine. It is a systemic treatment because it travels throughout the whole body.

Radiation-high energy rays like X-rays kill the cancer cells

Bone marrow transplants-unhealthy cancer producing bone marrow is destroyed and replaced with matching bone marrow.

Immunotherapy-stimulates the immune system to destroy cancer cells or boosts natural defenses. It can be a made naturally or artificially.

Risk factors for AML

o Previous chemotherapy or radiation treatments

o Exposure to radiation and chemicals like benzene

o Genetic disorders like Downs Syndrome

o Smoking

o Blood disorders like myelodysplasia

People with risk factors should watch more closely for symptoms of AML because early treatment increases survival rate.

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