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Samantha Ferreyra
Period: 8
May 7, 2013
Health
Leukemia
Cancer is a disease that begins in the cells. Most cells grow when they are needed and
later die off, but are replaced. In cancer, sometimes the new cells keep growing even when they
aren’t needed. The old cells might not die off as they are supposed to do. The buildup of the cells
can cause tumors that are benign or malignant. The malignant tumors are cancerous compared to
benign tumors and they can break away to spread to other parts of the body. In leukemia, it often
begins in the cells located in the bone marrow. The bone marrow is normally responsible for
making both red and white blood cells. In leukemia, the bone marrow produces abnormal white
blood cells due to a combination of environmental factors and genetics. Over time, the abnormal
cells will crowd out the healthy cells in the bone marrow. This causes fewer healthy blood cells
in the body ("Definition”).
Leukemia affects people of any age, but people over the age of sixty are more at risk of
developing the disease. Doctors don’t know why one person can get leukemia while the other
doesn’t. The survival rate is about 5 years and those years are the most critical for reducing the
risk of leukemia. The chances of survival depend on the person’s age, gender, race, and the type
of leukemia they have (SEER Training Modules11/27/12 - The NCI Is Working on Updating
Materials."). About 31% more males live with and are diagnosed with leukemia than females.
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Additionally, more males are diagnosed and die from leukemia than females. It affects about
256,000 people worldwide with the highest numbers in the United States ("Cancer Statistics.").
There are many types of leukemia based on many factors.
The cause of leukemia is unknown, but there are many factors that increase the risk of
leukemia. Factors that can contribute to leukemia are genetic disorders, certain blood disorders,
smoking, history of leukemia, exposed to benzene (found in gasoline), Down syndrome and
exposed to high levels of radiation. Radiation examples can be atomic bomb explosions, near a
radiation area, radiation therapy, and diagnostic x-rays.
There are many types of leukemia, but it is classified by the rate of progression and type
of cells involved. The major types of leukemia are acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), acute
myelogenous leukemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and chronic myelogenous
leukemia (CML). They are divided into two groups based on the fastness and cells involved. The
first type of leukemia is listed with acute leukemia and chronic leukemia. In acute leukemia, the
abnormal cells multiply rapidly and are immature. The opposite thing happens in chronic
leukemia because the cells are mature and they replicate more slowly. The second type of
leukemia is lymphatic leukemia and myelogenous leukemia. Lymphocytic leukemia is when the
lymphoid cells, they form the lymphatic tissue, are affected. In the myelogenous leukemia, the
myeloid cells are affected (“Leukemia FAQ.").
Hairy cell leukemia is also a cancer and a type of leukemia. It is very rare and is slowgrowing. The blood found in victims has too many B cells. The cell looks hairy under a
microscope and from there it got its name. There is no cure and never completely disappears.
This kind of leukemia is considered a chronic disease.
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Leukemia’s symptoms are commonly related to the other sicknesses like the flu. Most
people overlook the symptoms of leukemia and they don’t think they would have it. The
symptoms of leukemia aren’t specific until there is an exam. The common signs for leukemia are
tiny red spots on your skin, bone pain, fever or chills, easy bleeding or bruising, tiredness, and
much more.
A person can test if he or she has leukemia in diagnostic exams. The diagnostic exams
include physical exams, bone marrow tests, and blood tests. The bone marrow test is when a
sample of a bone marrow is removed using a long, thin needle. Then it will be sent to a
laboratory to find any leukemia cells. A physical exam will help to see any physical signs that
the doctor can determine as leukemia. The signs may include swelling of the lymph nodes, liver,
and spleen. The blood test can find any abnormal levels of blood cells to suggest as leukemia. It
is rare to find leukemia in blood tests, but bone marrow tests are more accurate. Other tests that
help find leukemia cells in the body are cytogenetic, spinal tap, and chest x-ray tests. In the
cytogenetic test, samples of the blood or bone marrow are taken and the chromosomes in the
cells are looked at (“Leukemia.").The spinal tap test removes a small amount of the
cerebrospinal fluid that fills the space around the spinal cord and brain. The test requires the use
of a long, thin needle to remove the fluid and can take about 30 minutes. Afterward the
procedure, the patient should lie down for several hours to not get a huge headache. The chest xray looks for swollen lymph nodes or other signs of leukemia.
The treatment for leukemia is bases on age, overall health, and if leukemia has spread to
other parts of the body. Treatment doctors for leukemia are hematologists and oncologists. The
treatments available for patients include chemotherapy, biological therapy, targeted therapy,
radiation therapy, and stem cell transplants. Chemotherapy is the major form of treatment for
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leukemia. The drug treatment uses chemicals to destroy and kill leukemia cells. The type of
leukemia determines if a person will get a single drug or a combination of drugs. The drugs may
come in a pill form, be injected directly into a vein, through a catheter, given directly under the
scalp, and many more. It is usually given in cycles. Each of the cycles has a treatment period that
is followed by a rest period. The treatment for chemotherapy can be at the hospital, in a clinic, or
the patient may have it at home. Biological therapy helps the immune system attack leukemia
cells. In targeted therapy, drugs are given to attack specific cancer cells. The drug, imantinib
(Gleevec), helps to stop a protein in the leukemia cells from expanding. This drug is
administered to people that have Chronic Myelogenous leukemia. A stem cell transplant is a
procedure that replaces a diseased bone marrow to a healthy one. Before the transplant can
begin, a person will receive a high amount of radiation to destroy the diseased bone marrow.
After that, the person will be given stem cells from a donor. This procedure is similar to a bone
marrow transplant. Clinical trials can also be a form of treatment, but it is on one’s risk. A
biopsy can also be taken and it removes the tissue to look at cancer cells (“What You Need To
Know About Leukemia"). Before the sample can be taken, the patient is admitted local
anesthesia to numb the area so the patient doesn’t feel much pain. Doctors will remove some of
the bone marrow or another large bone. Later on, a pathologist will use a microscope to find any
leukemia cells.
The stages of leukemia treatment are induction, intensification, maintenance, and relapse.
Induction is when there is a combination of chemotherapy and/or radiation and medication. It is
given to stop more abnormal cells to be made in the bone marrow or also called remission. It is
the major goal of the treatment and can last up to one month. Intensification or consolidation is
treatment that is continued to destroy any leukemia cells that may or may not be visible. In
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maintenance, there is less chemotherapy, but it lasts longer ("Leukemia: MedlinePlus."). It can
last from months to several years. The treatment is used to keep a leukemia-free bone marrow.
There are also regular visits to the doctor. Relapse is when the bone marrow begins to make
abnormal cells again and this can occur through any of the stages. It can even happen after
months or years of treatment.
The history of leukemia can be traced back to thousands of years, but was not officially
diagnosed until 1845 by John Hughes Bennet. European physicians found that their patients had
abnormal levels of white cells in the 19th century. They called the disease “weisses blut” that
means “white blood”. The current term, leukemia, comes from the Greek words “leukos” and
“heima”. It also means white blood. In 1913, leukemia was classified into four types. During the
1970’s, a cure for leukemia was being found with more patients getting it, too. Also during the
1970’s, doctors found ways to take out the leukemia from the body. The numbers of increasing
cancer patients has risen due to the fact that people in the past weren’t properly diagnosed since
they didn’t enough information as today (“Leukemia."). Also, they could have died from another
infectious disease. Present day, there are more treatments for leukemia patients, but also more
new studies are taking place.
Leukemia doesn’t only affect your body, but it can also affect your emotional health and
behaviors. Children can withdraw themselves socially because they were mostly in the hospital
than playing outside with their friends. Teenagers have a better understanding of their condition,
but can tend to become depressed or anxious. Additionally, people with leukemia can get PTSD
(Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). People can get support from their family, doctors, friends,
cancer support groups, church groups, counselors, and many more. They can help a leukemia
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patient by having a positive attitude or supporting their interests (“What You Need To Know
About Leukemia").
After the leukemia treatment, patients can expect many side effects from it. These can
include infections, dental problems, hair loss, anemia, nausea, poor appetite, and mouth sores.
Additionally, regular checkups to the doctor will be required to find any symptoms of leukemia.
The tests many include x-rays, physical exams, blood tests, and much more. People with
leukemia should also have a proper diet and do some kind of physical activity. It can help the
patient feel better and have more energy ("What Is Leukemia?").
People with chronic lymphocytic leukemia can do watchful waiting. Watchful waiting is
when people don’t have any symptoms of leukemia and don’t have to take treatment. Until any
symptoms occur, they can put it off the treatment. They can avoid the side effect of the
treatment, but it does have its risks. The longer they wait, the less chance there is to control the
disease.
The official ribbon color of leukemia is orange and the child color of it is gold. The
awareness month of leukemia is September. Leukemia is a disease that affects many people and
can take a person’s life. Every ten minutes, a person dies from leukemia. Also, about 30,000
new cases of leukemia are diagnosed each year in the United States. Learning about leukemia
can help teach others about this disease and get the word out.
I picked to do this health topic because one of my cousin’s has leukemia. I wanted to get
more information about this disease since I remember visiting him at the hospital a few times.
When we would visit him, he looked very pale and very tired. When I found out he had
leukemia, I didn’t know what it was. All I knew that is was a type of cancer and he could die
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from it. Until doing this research paper, I understand how leukemia works and what possible
treatments my cousin might be taking. Also, I know now what people might be facing. The
health topic concerns me because now I have the information to understand what leukemia
patients are going through and I could also help them. Additionally, I could teach others about
this disease and help to spread awareness for leukemia, too.
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Works Cited Page
"Cancer Statistics." Leukemia. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2013.
<http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/leuks.html>.
“Leukemia FAQ." Leukemia FAQ. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2013.
<http://cancer.osu.edu/patientsandvisitors/cancerinfo/cancertypes/leukemia/faq/pages/ind
ex.aspx>.
"Leukemia." Leukemia. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.cedarssinai.edu/Patients/HealthConditions/Leukemia.aspx>.
“Leukemia." Leukemia. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2013. <http://www.chp.edu/CHP/P02731>.
"Leukemia: MedlinePlus." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/leukemia.html>.
SEER Training Modules11/27/12 - The NCI Is Working on Updating Materials." SEER
Training: Survival Rates. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2013.
<http://training.seer.cancer.gov/leukemia/intro/survival.html>
Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Definition." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and
Research, 03 Apr. 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/leukemia/DS00351>.
"What Is Leukemia?" What Is Leukemia? N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.newsmedical.net/health/WhatisLeukemia.aspx>.
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“What You Need To Know About Leukemia" National Cancer Intistute, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/leukemia/page1/AllPages>.