Blood Cancer

Blood cancer occurs when the development of blood cells is disturbed. This prevents them from functioning properly and can escape control. In most blood cancers, the normal process of blood cell development is interrupted by the uncontrolled growth of an abnormal type of blood cell. These blood cells or abnormal cancer cells prevent the blood from performing many of its functions, such as fighting infections or preventing serious bleeding. Blood cancers affect the production and function of blood cells. Most of these tumors start from the bone marrow where blood is produced. Bone marrow stem cells mature and develop into three types of blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets.

Types of Blood Cancer 

There are three major kinds of blood cancer:

• Leukemia a type of cancer found in the blood and bone marrow, causes rapid production of white blood cells. The large number of white blood cells cannot fight infections and affects the ability of the bone marrow to produce red blood cells and platelets.
• Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that affects the lymphatic system, which causes excessive fluid from the body and produces immune cells. Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell that combines infection. Abnormal lymphocytes are performed as lymphoma cells, which increase and accumulate in lymph nodes and other tissues. Over time, these cancer cells affect the immune system.
• Myeloma is a tumor of plasma cells. Plasma cells are white blood cells that produce antibodies to combat diseases and infections in the body. Myeloma cells prevent the normal production of antibodies, leaving the immune system impaired and susceptible to infection.

Symptoms of Blood Cancer

• Feel tired and weak
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Pale skin
• Chest pains
• Unusual bruises
• Bleeding gums
• Small red spots on the skin from broken blood vessels
• Heavy periods
• Black or red bowel movements with stripes.
• Fever, chills
• Persistent fatigue, weakness
• Loss of appetite, nausea
• Unexplained weight loss
• Night sweats
• Bone / joint pain
• Abdominal discomfort
• Headache
• Shortness of breath
• Common infections
• Rashes or rashes
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, arms or groin

Causes of Blood Cancer

All blood cancers are caused by defects in our DNA (mutations). In all cases, these changes in our DNA occur for reasons we cannot explain and are related to things we cannot control.

Although, in most cases, we do not know exactly what causes DNA changes that can lead to blood cancer, research has shown that there are a number of things that can influence the likelihood of you developing certain types of cancer of blood.

These "risk factors" include:

• The age
• Sex
• Ethnicity
• Family history
• Radiation or chemical exposure
• Some health conditions and treatments.

Risk factors vary between different types of blood cancer. For example, we know that myeloma only affects adults and is more common in men and people in the Afro-Caribbean environment, while Hodgkin's lymphoma usually develops in people aged 15 to 25 and in people who they already have problems. with their immunity system.

Treatments of Blood Cancer

Treatment for blood cancer depends on the type of cancer, age, speed with which the tumor progresses, where cancer has spread and other factors. Some common treatments for blood cancer include:

• Stem cell transplant: a stem cell transplant infuses blood stem cells into the body. Stem cells can be harvested from bone marrow, circulating blood and umbilical cord blood.
• Chemotherapy: chemotherapy uses anticancer drugs to interfere and stop the growth of cancer cells in the body. Chemotherapy for blood cancer sometimes involves the administration of different drugs in an established regimen. This treatment can also be given before a stem cell transplant.
• Radiotherapy: Radiation therapy can be used to destroy cancer cells or to relieve pain or discomfort. It can also be given before a stem cell transplant