Blood Cancer - Types, Symptoms, Causes and its Treatment
Nov 15, 2022, 16:45 IST
Cancer is characterized by the formation of tumors in various organs. However, blood is in a liquid state. How does cancer manifest itself in the blood? Let's learn about blood cancer in this article.
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What is Blood?
Blood is a fluid connective tissue primarily involved in transporting nutrients, hormones, respiratory gases, etc. Blood also plays a significant role in controlling body temperature, pH, and other thermoregulatory processes. Human blood is made up of a variety of cells, including erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets (platelets), and plasma, which contains proteins, salts, and water.
What is Blood Cancer?
Blood cancer is also called hematologic cancer. This syndrome develops when the bone marrow and blood cells are affected. This disrupts the production and the function of these cells (fighting infections and transporting oxygen), and cancer cells grow out of control.
Types Of Blood Cancer
Leukemia: It is a type of blood cancer that affects leukocytes, or white blood cells, and the bone marrow. This condition generally occurs when the body produces an excess of abnormal WBCs. There are four main types of leukemia, namely:
- Acute myeloid leukemia
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- Chronic myeloid leukemia
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Lymphoma: Lymphoma directly affects the lymphatic system, which protects against infectious diseases. It can affect blood cells, the spleen, and bone marrow. There are mainly two types.
- Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
- Hodgkin's lymphoma
Myeloma: It is a tumor of plasma cells. It is the white blood cells (WBC) that create disease-fighting antibodies. This cancer prevents the production of antibodies, which leads to the weakening of the immune system. From now on, our bodies will be prone to infections and other diseases.
Symptoms Of Blood Cancer
Symptoms of blood cancer in men and women. Mentioned below are the generic symptoms of blood cancer.
- Fever
- A severe Headache
- Itchy skin
- Sudden weight loss
- Fatigue
- Back Pain
- Difficulty in breathing
- A cough that does not go away
Symptoms of Blood Cancer in Women
- Nipple Changes
- Frequent Infections
- Weakness
- Facing difficulty in swallowing
- Pelvic Pain
- Stomachache
- Wheezing
- Swollen Breasts
- No Appetite
Causes Of Blood Cancer
There is no particular reason for the cause of blood cancer. Some factors are related to age factor, hereditary, weakened immune system, infections, aids, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, exposure to chemotherapy, organ transplantation, usage of hair dies, some petrochemicals, and maternal-fetal transmission in rare cases.
Treatment For Blood Cancer
Treatment generally depends on the type of the cancer, age, severity, and many other factors. Some of the standard treatment is mentioned below-
- Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is used to destroy cancer cells. They use high-energy X-rays. It also relieves pain. It is performed before the implantation of stem cells and bone marrow.
- Stem cell transplantation: It is collected from the bone marrow, umbilical cord, and peripheral blood. They implant healthy blood-forming stem cells.
- Chemotherapy: This is a treatment involving drugs given mainly to destroy cancer cells.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What are the types of blood cancer?
Ans. Lymphoma, Myeloma and Leukaemia are the types of blood cancer.
Q2. What is Leukaemia?
Ans. A blood cancer that affects the leukocytes, or bone marrow and white blood cells, is known as leukaemia. This condition usually occurs when a body produces the excess of abnormal WBC.
Q3. What is Lymphoma?
Ans. Cancer in the lymphatic system is termed lymphoma.
Q4. What is Myeloma?
Ans. The tumour of plasma cells is Myeloma. Plasma cells are the white Blood cells (WBC) that produce antibodies.
Q5. What are the treatment options available for blood cancer?
Ans. Radiation Therapy, Stem Cell Transplantation [bone marrow transplantation], and Chemotherapy are the treatment options for blood cancer.
