What is Blood Cancer?

Blood cells start behaving abnormally. These changes result in the development of cancer cells. The growth of these cells is difficult to control and they also prevent healthy blood cells from doing their functions properly. This affects important functions of blood cells like fighting infections and generating new blood cells. This disease can affect any age group or a particular age group. Blood cancer is categorized into acute and chronic. Acute blood cancer starts suddenly and is critical to deal with visible symptoms. Whereas chronic blood cancer grows over some time and is less aggressive as compared to acute. Chronic blood cancer does not show any symptoms in the initial stages, the signs are more visible as the cancer grows out of control. Several factors increase the risk of getting diagnosed with blood cancer.

Basic facts to be known about Blood Cancer

● Blood cancer is considered the fifth most common type of cancer across the world.

● In 2020, around 1.3 million people were diagnosed with blood cancer worldwide.

● Blood cancer accounts for 8.2% of all types of cancers. The average rate of people getting diagnosed with blood cancer is 5.5 cases per 1 lakh people in India. About 80,000 people were diagnosed with blood cancer in 2023.

● Leukemia is a commonly found blood cancer in children.

Signs and symptoms of Blood Cancer

The human body gives different indications when something is not right internally. In the case of blood cancer, the symptoms are completely dependent on the type of cancer and the stage of cancer. When the person is diagnosed with chronic blood cancer, the symptoms are not visible in the initial stages. A person can observe the symptoms when the abnormal cells grow and reach advanced stages. The most commonly found symptoms are mentioned below:

● losing weight without any known reason

● inflammation in lymph nodes

● frequent fever and infections

● difficulty breathing

● feeling tired most of the time

● headache

● pain in the abdomen, joints, and bones

● poor appetite

● feeling nauseous

● bruises and rashes start appearing without any cause.

● Bleeding through the nose and gums

Factors causing Blood Cancer

Blood cancer can be caused for any reason, as it may vary from person to person. The exact reason why blood cancer is diagnosed among people is still not known. There are various reasons which are responsible for increasing the risk of blood cancer. Some of the primary reasons are mentioned below:

● Age: This can be taken as a primary factor that increases the risk of developing blood cancer with time. As age increases, the risk of getting diagnosed with the disease increases parallelly.

● Family history of blood cancer: If any person who is related to you by blood has a history of blood cancer then it elevates your chances of getting the disease at some point in time.

● Contact with carcinogens: Coming in contact with harmful chemicals can result in life-threatening diseases like blood cancer.

● Smoking: Smoking tobacco or cigarettes results in fatal diseases. They contain carcinogens like benzene which are responsible for causing leukemia.

● Exposure to high-energy waves: When a person comes in contact with procedures like radiation that involve high-frequency energy elevates the risk of getting diagnosed with blood cancer.

● Chemotherapy: It is a process that is used to kill cancer cells and stop them from growing. Chemotherapy is capable of damaging the DNA in bone marrow cells. These cells are responsible for producing new blood cells. The damage caused by chemotherapy can lead to cancerous blood cells.

Type of Blood Cancer

Blood cancer is divided into different categories. It depends on the type of blood cell that is getting affected. The three main categories into which blood and bone marrow cancer are:

1. Leukemia: When there are any genetic changes in the bone marrow cells can lead to leukemia. People above 60 years of age are at high risk of getting diagnosed with this disease. Different types of leukemia are as follows:

●Acute lymphocytic leukemia: the most prevalent type of blood cancer that is found majorly in children. Some cases of this disease can affect adults also. Abnormal production of white blood cells also known as leukocytes by bone marrow results in this disease.

● Acute myelogenous leukemia: This cancer is generally found in adults from 40 to 60 years of age. The male population is more prone to this disease as compared to women. When bone marrow generates immature white blood cells uncontrollably leads to Acute myelogenous leukemia.

● Chronic lymphocytic leukemia: People above 55 years of age are more prone to this disease. This disease is rarely found in children and youngsters. Gender is considered a risk factor because there are more chances that the male population will get this blood cancer. This cancer develops over some time when abnormal WBCs are produced.

● Chronic myelogenous leukemia: This type of cancer is diagnosed in advanced stages. There are no visible symptoms in the early stages as this disease develops over some time. The Older population is affected by this disease.

2. Lymphoma: Growth of uneven cells in the lymphatic system. This system plays a major role in the human body as it helps to fight infections and diseases. Several organs are involved in this system, like bone marrow, lymph nodes, thymus gland, and spleen. It is of two types:

● Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: This disease affects a kind of white blood cell in the lymphatic system. The primary function of white blood cells is to fight infections in the body.

● Hodgkin Lymphoma: In this disease, an abnormal lymphocyte is responsible for causing this disease. This lymphocyte is known as the Reed-Sternberg cell. This cancer is rare and curable.

3. Myeloma: It is also termed as multiple myeloma and plasma cell myeloma. When plasma cells start growing uncontrollably, this leads to myeloma. This disease interferes with the normal production of antibodies, weakening our immune system. It does not allow normal growth of red and white blood cells. These abnormal changes result in kidney damage, fractures, and bone damage.

Stages of Blood Cancer

Cancer growing in the different kinds of blood cells results in different diseases. The stage of the disease decides the type of treatment. Solid tumors are not formed in blood cancer so they are staged in a disparate manner as compared to other cancers.

STAGE 0: The count of white blood cells gets increased in this stage. There are no visible symptoms at this stage.

STAGE 1: The inflammation starts in the lymph nodes of this stage along with an increased count of white blood cells.

STAGE 2: The lymph nodes start swelling in this stage. The person with blood cancer will have an elevated white blood cell count and an enlarged liver.

STAGE 3: Anemia is the major symptom of this stage with high white blood cell count. Swelling in lymph nodes and liver is observed.

STAGE 4: Platelets have decreased and white blood cells have increased to a great extent in this stage. Enlarged lymph nodes, liver, and spleen are seen with anemia in some cases.

Methods used in the detection of blood Cancer

If blood cancer gets detected in early stages, it is possible to treat the cancer. With time, different tests are introduced that confirm the presence of cancer cells in blood. The sub type of blood cancer can be diagnosed using laboratory tests, Imaging tests, and bone marrow studies. The tests are as follows:

● Physical Examination: The people with a risk of blood cancer are diagnosed closely by a doctor. He checks for any inflammation or swelling and pale skin in case of anemia.

● Laboratory Tests: These tests include all the tests which can be performed by taking a sample of blood. These tests include CBC, KFT & LFT, flow cytometry, and cytochemistry.

● Study of bone marrow using biopsies: This test is performed by extracting a tissue of cancerous cells from bone marrow. Abnormal cells are studied in detail to confirm the disease.

● Imaging tests: X-ray, MRI, CT scan, and PET scan come under this category. These tests help to confirm the signs of cancer in the blood.

● Lumbar Puncture: A sample of fluid is taken from the brain and spinal cord to check the presence of cancer cells in the blood.

Ways to prevent Blood Cancer

Blood cancer can be prevented by avoiding contact with carcinogens, following a healthy lifestyle, and quitting smoking. These ways help to reduce the risk of blood cancer. As it is a genetic disorder, so the exact cause of the genetic changes in DNA is still not known.

Treatment methods for Blood Cancer

Some cases of blood cancer can be treated if diagnosed in the early stages. Various treatment options are there which are prescribed by the doctor. The treatment is given to the patient by considering the age, health condition, and medical history of the patient. These treatment options are as follows:

● Chemotherapy: Various medicines are given in this process for treating blood cancer. These anticancer drugs include Azacitidine 100mg injection and Ibrutinib 140mg capsule which is available at an affordable price on Magicine Pharma. This therapy reduces the size of the tumor by killing the cancer cells.

● Bone Marrow Transplant: In this procedure, bone marrow stem cells are taken from a healthy person. These healthy cells are infused into the patient with blood cancer.

● Radiation Therapy: High-intensity energy is used to kill the cancer cells. This therapy may result in some side effects that patients may feel difficult to handle. Always consult your doctor in such cases to deal with the side effects smoothly.

● Targeted Therapy: Abnormal cells are the primary target in this treatment. The medicines prescribed in this therapy target the abnormalities present in the cancer cells. It reduces the tumor size by killing the cancer cells.

● Immunotherapy: This treatment works by interrupting the procedure of hiding the cancer cells. It helps the immune system to identify the uneven cells and kill them. This therapy is suggested in advanced stages of lung cancer where cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body.

FAQ's

1. What is the reason behind getting diagnosed with blood cancer?

Various genetic and environmental factors are responsible for causing blood cancer.

2. Is it possible to treat blood cancer completely?

Yes, blood cancer can be treated. In the case of chronic blood cancer, it is not possible to cure this disease. The symptoms can be reduced using different therapies.

3. What are the risk factors that result in blood cancer?

Smoking, family history, and exposure to cancer-causing agents are some of the reasons that lead to blood cancer.

4. What is the survival rate after getting diagnosed with blood cancer?

The survival rate may vary depending on the type of blood cancer.A person with leukemia can survive with an average of 5 years.

5. What are the common types of blood cancers?

Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma are the most commonly found blood cancers.

References

https://www.worldwidecancerresearch.org/information-and-impact/cancer-myths-and-questions/what-isbloodcancerandwhydoweneedmoreresearch/#:~:text=Blood%20cancers%20are%20the%20fifth,But%20what%20are%20blood%20cancers?
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/majority-of-blood-cancers-are-curable-with-advanced-technology-says-expert/article66900614.ece
https://www.nfcr.org/cancer-types/cancer-types-blood-cancer/
https://www.cancer.gov/types/lymphoma#:~:text=Lymphoma%20is%20a%20broad%20term,depends%20on%20the%20specific%20type.