Handling and Treatment of Leukemia

Disease Blood Cancer

Leukemia (blood cancer) is a type of cancer that attacks white blood cells produced by bone marrow. Bone marrow or bone marrow in the human body produces three types of blood cells including white blood cell (functioning as immune against infection), red blood cell (function to bring oxygen into the body) and platelets (small part of blood cells that help blood clotting process .)

Leukemia is generally appear in a person since the days of childhood, the bone marrow without obvious cause has been known to produce white blood cells do not develop normal or abnormal. Normally, white blood cells to reproduce again when the body needs it or no room for the blood cell itself. The human body will give signs / signals on a regular basis when will the blood cells are expected to be re-reproduction.

In the case of leukemia (blood cancer), white blood cells do not respond to the sign / signal given. Finally, uncontrolled production of excessive (abnormal) will exit from the bone marrow and can be found in the peripheral blood or peripheral blood. The number of abnormal white blood cells that is when excessive can disrupt the normal function of other cells, A person with this condition (leukemia) will show some symptoms such as susceptible to infectious diseases, anemia and bleeding.

# Leukemia Acute and Chronic Disease

Acute leukemia is characterized by a very rapid course of the disease, deadly, and worse. If this is not immediately treated, it can cause death within weeks to the day. While chronic leukemia have a disease that does not travel so fast that have a longer life expectancy, up to more than 1 year.

# Leukemias are classified based on the type of cells

When the examination is known that leukemia affects the lymphocytes or lymphoid cells, it is called lymphocytic leukemia. While that affect cell leukemia mieloid as neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils, called leukemia mielositik.

From this classification, the Leukemia is divided into four types of designation;

1. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). It is the most common type of leukemia in children. The disease is also present in adults who primarily have been aged 65 years or more.

2. Mielositik acute leukemia (LMA). This is more common in adults than children. This type was formerly called nonlimfositik acute leukemia.

3. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This is often suffered by adults older than 55 years. Sometimes it also affects young adults, and almost none in children.

4. Mielositik chronic leukemia (CML) often occurs in adults. It can also occur in children, but very little.

# Cause Disease Leukemia

Until now the cause of leukemia is not known with certainty, but there are some factors suspected to affect the frequency of occurrence of leukemia.

1. Radiation. This is supported by several reports from several research which handles cases of leukemia that is more frequent radiological Employees suffering from leukemia, Penerita with radiotherapy more often suffer from leukemia, Leukemia found on the incidence of the atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

2. Leukemogenik. Several chemicals have been identified are reported to affect the frequency of leukemia, for example, environmental toxins such as benzene, inustri chemicals such as insecticides, medicines used for chemotherapy.

3. Hereditary. People with Down Syndrome have the incidence of acute leukemia 20 times greater than normal people.

4. Viruses. Some types of viruses can cause leukemia, such as retroviruses, feline leukemia virus, HTLV-1 in adults.

# Signs and Symptoms of Leukemia Disease

Leukemia Symptoms caused generally differs among patients, however, can generally be described as follows:

1. Anemia. Patients will appear tired, pale and breathing fast (red blood cells below normal causing less oxygen in the body, resulting in the patient breathes faster to compensate for the fulfillment of oxygen deficiency in the body).

2. Bleeding. When Platelets (blood clotting cells) are not reproduced with reasonable because it is dominated by white blood cells, then the patient will experience bleeding skin dijaringan (the number of red larvae width / minor skin dijaringan).

3. Esophageal Infections. White blood cells act as protective immunity, especially against infectious diseases. In Patients with leukemia, white blood cells that diterbentuk is not normal (abnormal) so it does not function properly. As a result the body of the patient vulnerable to viral infection / bacteria, even by itself will reveal complaints of fever, white discharge from the nose (runny) and cough.

4. Painful bones and joints. This is caused as a result of bone marrow (bone marrow) urged the solid by white blood cells.

5. Stomach pain. Abdominal pain is also one indication of the symptoms of leukemia, where the leukemia cells may collect in the kidneys, liver and bile that causes enlargement of these organs and timbulah pain. Abdominal pain can affect loss of appetite patients with leukemia.

6. Swollen glands Lympa. Patients are likely to experience swelling of the glands lympa, whether it is under the arm, neck, chest and others. Lympa duty gland filter blood, leukemia cells can accumulate here and cause swelling.

7. Difficulty breathing (dyspnea). The patient may show symptoms of difficulty breathing and chest pain, if this happens then have to immediately get medical help.

# Diagnosis of Disease Leukemia (Blood Cancer)

Leukemia disease can be ascertained with some checks, such as; biopsy, Blood tests (complete blood count (CBC)), CT or CAT scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray, Ultrasound, Spinal tap / lumbar puncture.

# Handling and Treatment of Leukemia

Handling cases of leukemia disease usually starts from the symptoms that arise, such as anemia, bleeding and infection. Broadly speaking the handling and treatment of leukemia can be done by a single or a combination of several methods below:

1. Chemotherapy / intrathecal medications

2. Radiation Therapy. This method is rarely used

3. Transplantation of bone marrow (bone marrow)

4. Provision of drugs and hypodermic tablets

5. Transfusion of red blood cells or platelets.

Therapy System is often used in dealing with patients with leukemia is a combination of Chemotherapy (chemo) and the provision of drugs that focuses on the dismissal of the production of abnormal white blood cells in bone marrow. Next is the handling of some symptoms and signs that have been revealed by the patient's body with a comprehensive monitoring.