- Health A to Z
Healthline Premium Tools
Advertisement
Marketplace
|
A set of related cancers that form in the bone marrow and other blood-producing organs.Leukemia is named after the leukocytes, white blood cells which mutate before maturity and become cancerous. These cells reproduce rapidly, suppressing producti...
|
|
Detailed information on leukemia, including causes, stages, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
|
 |
Leukemia is a cancer that starts in the organs that make blood, namely the bone marrow and the lymph system. Depending on specific characteristics, leukemia can be divided into two broad types: acute and chronic.
|
 |
Leukemia is a group of bone marrow diseases involving an uncontrolled increase in white blood cells(leukocytes).For information about a specific type of leukemia, see the following:.Acute lymphocytic leukemia(ALL) Acute myelogenous leukemia(AML) C...
|
|
Cancer occurs when cells in the body begin changing in ways that aren't normal. Cancer that starts in blood cells is called leukemia.
|
|
Leukemia is different from other types of cancer. Most cancers begin as a tumor and spread to other parts of the body. How large the tumor is and how far the cancer spreads determines the stage of the cancer. But leukemia doesn't begin as a tumor. It is in your blood, which means it is already moving throughout your body.
|
|
You have just been told, "You have leukemia.” With these 3 words, you may feel that your world has stopped. It's scary to hear. However, knowledge is powerful. It can help make a difference in how you handle your experience with leukemia.
|
|
Detailed overview of leukemia, including types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
|
|
There is no sure way to prevent leukemia. In fact, most people with leukemia have no known risk factors. People can, however, make certain lifestyle choices that might lower their risk of developing leukemia.
|
|
Normal white blood cells help the body fight infections. Because leukemia cells are abnormal, they do not function as normal cells do. People with leukemia often find out about their disease because they may have fevers and infections.
|
|
The cells that were removed for your biopsy are looked at more closely during special tests. These tests help tell what kind of leukemia you have. The type you have affects your choices for treatment.
|
|
Certain factors can make one person more likely to get leukemia than another person. These are called risk factors. Although such risk factors do exist, a person who has one or more risk factors will not necessarily get leukemia. In fact, a person can have all the risk factors and still not get leukemia, or he or she can have no known risk factors and still get the disease.
|
|
No standard screening process exists for detecting early stage leukemia. Doctors often detect chronic leukemia during routine blood count checks or screening tests, such as those conducted when a person seeks employment, joins the military, is pregnant, or is about to undergo an operation.
|
|
This treatment uses strong X-rays to kill leukemia cells. For leukemia, this treatment is most often used after a hematopoietic stem cell transplant. It may also be used to help control pain. In the rare cases that leukemia causes a tumor, radiation may be used to shrink it. A radiation oncologist sets your treatment plan. The plan details what kind of radiation you'll have and how long the treatment will last. This doctor can also tell you how you may feel during and after the treatment.
|
|
Detailed information on leukemia in childhood, including symptoms, staging, diagnosis, and treatment
|
|
If your doctor thinks you might have leukemia, you will have a special kind of biopsy. For it, your doctor needs a small sample of bone marrow and bone. The doctor takes these from the inside of your pelvic bone. The procedure is called a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. In some cases, the doctor takes an aspiration from the breastbone instead. A pathologist looks at the sample under a microscope. It may take a few days for the results to come back. Then your doctor knows if you have leukemia.
|
|
Targeted therapy is a new type of treatment for some types of leukemia. It's designed to "see” a certain change in a cancer cell. This is a change that makes the cancer grow, divide, repair, or "talk” with other cells. These new drugs attack only cancer cells. They destroy or slow the growth of cancer cells. But they avoid normal, healthy cells. That means this treatment tends to cause fewer and less severe side effects than other kinds of treatment. These 3 main types of targeted therapy can treat leukemia.
|
|
You will likely have physical concerns since your leukemia may cause symptoms and you may have side effects from your treatment. In this section, you'll learn more about how to respond to some of the most common ones. You will not likely have all of these side effects or symptoms. They are listed alphabetically to help you find information when you need it.
|
|
Detailed information on leukemia in childhood, including symptoms, staging, diagnosis, and treatment
|
|
Leukemia can be treated. Your treatment depends on all these things. The type of leukemia you have
|
|
Listed below are some frequently asked questions about leukemia. Q: What is leukemia?
|
|
To find out whether you have leukemia, your doctor does a physical examination and other tests. Sometimes a doctor finds leukemia during a routine exam. This can happen when a person doesn't know about a problem because he or she doesn't have symptoms.
|
|
It's normal to worry about what leukemia will mean for you and your family. You may wonder, "What are my chances of being cured?” and "How long will I live?” The answers to these questions are what you may hear healthcare experts call your prognosis. This is the likely outcome, or course, of your leukemia. Your doctor considers how likely these outcomes are for you when making your prognosis.
|
|
Treating your leukemia to get the best results is important. But your quality of life also matters. Let your doctor or nurse know if you are experiencing any side effects or discomfort. Make sure to tell your doctor or nurse how these problems affect your day-to-day life. Your healthcare team is there to help you manage your symptoms as well as to treat your leukemia.
|
|
The hallmark of leukemia is often an increase in the number of white blood cells. It's ironic that mass production of white blood cells--your body's infection fighters--actually causes you harm. The problem is that the white blood cells made when you have leukemia may not function normally. When your body makes too many leukemic white blood cells, it doesn't make enough normal ones to fight infection. This decrease in the strength of your immune system is called immunosuppression. A weaker immune system means you are at a greater risk of getting both common infections you encounter in everyday life as well as uncommon ones.
|
|
Surgery can do little to treat leukemia. For chronic leukemia, though, it is helpful in some cases. Your doctor may remove your spleen if it is swollen and pressing against other organs. Your spleen is an organ near your stomach. It helps produce white blood cells and destroy red blood cells. Another reason you may have your spleen removed is to raise levels of certain blood cells. That's because a swollen spleen can start removing too many of them from your blood.
|
|
A clinical trial is when a new treatment is tested. It tests treatments that may work better or cause fewer problems than current treatments. A clinical trial may give you a chance to get a new treatment not yet available to the public.
|
|
Once your radiation oncologist has mapped out your treatment plan, a radiation therapist treats you. There are a few ways to do that.
|
|
How you get targeted therapy depends on the kind you get. You get monoclonal therapy by intravenous (IV) needle or under the skin 3 times a week. You won't need to stay in a hospital overnight. How long each treatment lasts depends upon the dose you get. It also depends on whether you have any reactions to the treatment. If you get an IV, it may take about 2 hours. If you get an injection under the skin, it may take a few minutes.
|
|
If you are having targeted therapy, your healthcare team will explain its side effects and help you manage them.
|
|
When you are being treated for leukemia, you will likely have side effects from that treatment and also, perhaps, symptoms of the disease itself. For instance, the leukemia itself can cause symptoms such as fevers, weight loss, or bleeding. The treatments to destroy leukemia cells can harm healthy cells at the same time, and that means treatment can cause side effects.
|
|
Some people use statistics to try to figure out their chances of getting cancer or of being cured. Statistics show what happens with large groups of people. Because no two people are alike, statistics cannot be used to know or predict what will happen to a particular person.
|
|
When many people think of cancer care, they may think of traditional treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. These treatments are used to get rid of cancer cells in the body. But there is another form of care that many people with cancer also receive called supportive care. Supportive care does not fight the cancer, but it can improve the overall health or quality of life for a person with cancer. It can include dealing with side effects of cancer and its treatments, such as fatigue and pain, learning about the condition and treatment, and getting nutritional and psychological support. For leukemia patients, supportive care is an important part of helping the patient get through treatment.
|
|
Once you know you have leukemia, your doctor will likely do more tests. Most people need more than one.
|
|
Dealing with these feelings is often easier as you learn more about your disease and get support. Doctors, nurses, and other members of your healthcare team can answer questions about your concerns. Talking with friends and relatives or getting in touch with others who have had leukemia or cancer can be helpful. Meeting with a social worker, counselor, or member of the clergy may also help. Many people with leukemia attend support groups. There they can share what they have learned about leukemia and its treatments.
|
|
You may have heard a lot about alternative or complementary care. These are a group of practices and products that are not yet thought of as a part of standard medicine.
|
|
Side effects of chemotherapy depend upon the type and amount of drugs you take. They vary from person to person. Here's a list of side effects you may have with this treatment. Talk with your doctor or nurse about which might be most likely to happen to you.
|
|
Radiation affects normal cells as well as cancer cells. It may cause side effects. They depend on how much radiation you get and where you get it. Here's a list of common side effects people with leukemia may have after radiation. Ask your doctor or nurse which ones you are most likely to have.
|
|
Many side effects of treatment are not serious. They end once the treatment ends. But others may develop over time or be a sign of more serious damage from treatment. For instance, chemotherapy can damage organs, such as kidneys or lungs. Also, when leukemia cells break down during treatment, they release their contents into the bloodstream. This can cause what is called tumor lysis syndrome. It can also affect certain organs. If you have a stem cell transplant, the immune system cells from a donor attack the leukemia cells. They can also attack your normal cells, causing a variety of side effects. And, in rare cases, you may develop another type of cancer as a side effect of treatment.
|
|
You and your doctor will talk all about stem cell transplants and their side effects before you have it done. After this treatment, you will have a weakened immune system. That makes you are at greater risk for infection and other serious side effects. You must stay in the hospital for several weeks. You may also need to be in isolation after being in the hospital until your white blood cell counts start returning to normal. During this time, your stem cells are making new white blood cells. Here are some common side effects you can expect. Many of these are from chemotherapy or radiation treatments and will go away after treatment ends.
|
|
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology that primarily targets synovial tissues. It is relatively common with a prevalence of approximately 1% in adults all over the world.
|
|
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and deformity of the joints. Other problems throughout the body(systemic problems) may also develop, including inflammation of blood vessels( vasculitis), the develo...
|
 |
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is a long-term disease that leads to inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues. It can also affect other organs.The cause of RA is unknown.
|
|
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that affects the lining of the joints, causing pain, swelling, and stiffness. Left untreated, rheumatoid arthritis may damage joints so badly that they no longer function. This disease appears most often in young-adult to middle-age women. To diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, your doctor will ask about your health history and perform an exam. X-rays and blood tests may also be needed.
|
|
The following Clinical Topic Tour provides an overview of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and was adapted from materials published by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
|
|
Many people with rheumatoid arthritis believe there's nothing they can do to ease their pain and stiffness, but they're wrong.
|
|
Detailed information on rheumatoid arthritis, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
|
|
Detailed information on rheumatoid arthritis, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
|
|
Detailed information on rheumatoid arthritis, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
|
|
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by symmetric inflammatory polyarthritis and varying degrees of extraarticular involvement. A chronic fluctuating course of the disease is experienced by most patients that may result in joint destruction, deformity, disability and premature death. 1?4 Major economic and emotional disabilities can result from RA and can have a significant impact on patients? families and loved ones.
|
|
Researchers believe that enough evidence exists now to list rheumatoid arthritis as a marker of increased heart attack risk. The next step is to examine how people with RA might alter their drug treatment plan or make lifestyle changes to reduce their risk for heart attack.
|
|
Over the past twenty years the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has undergone dramatic changes, particularly in the past five years. Traditionally, RA was diagnosed late in the disease course, the symptoms were treated without addressing the underlying damaging nature of RA, referral to specialist teams was delayed, and drugs that might slow the disease process down (disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs)) were introduced after joints had eroded.
|
|
Arthritis cannot be cured, but treatment can help manage the pain and prevent serious disability.
|
|
Can rheumatoid arthritis cause degenerative bone cysts?
Diana Post, M.D., is an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
|
|
The treatment goals include reducing joint swelling, relieving stiffness, preventing joint damage and maintaining joint function.
|
|
Treating rheumatoid arthritis early and aggressively can help reduce joint damage and disability.
|
|
Is there any connection between rheumatoid arthritis and alcohol consumption? Does a prior history of waterborne hepatitis predispose a person to RA?
|
|
The RF is an antibody detectable in the blood in about 70 percent of persons with rheumatoid arthritis but can often be found in other people as well. In fact, healthy people with no arthritis and no medical problems at all make tiny amounts of this antibody.
|
 |
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the joints, most often in the hands and feet. It results in swelling, stiffness, pain, and sometimes joint, bone, and cartilage destruction.Although the exact cause of RA is unkn...
|
 |
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is a chronic disease causing inflammation and deformity of the joints. Other systemic problems throughout the body may also develop, including inflammation of blood vessels(vasculitis), the development of bumps(rheumatoid ...
|
|
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is an inflammatory disease of the joints, the cause of which is still unknown. Infectious factors are being studied, including bacterial and viral organisms, but no definite involvement of any agent has been proven.
|
 |
Multiple myeloma is a cancer in which antibody-producing plasma cells grow in an uncontrolled and invasive(malignant) manner.Multiple myeloma, also known as plasma cell myeloma, is the second-most common cancer of the blood. It is the most common ...
|
 |
Multiple myeloma is cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow.Plasma cell dyscrasia; Plasma cell myeloma; Malignant plasmacytoma; Plasmacytoma of bone; Myeloma- multiple.Plasma cells help the body''s immune system fight disease by producing substan...
|
|
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about multiple myeloma. Q:What is multiple myeloma?
|
|
To help you understand what is happening when you have cancer, it helps to understand how your body works normally. Our bodies are made up of tiny building blocks called cells. Normal cells grow and multiply when the body needs them, and die out when the body does not need them.
|
|
Plasma cell neoplasms are diseases in which certain cells in the blood (called plasma cells) become cancer. Plasma cells are made by white blood cells called lymphocytes. The plasma cells make antibodies, which fight infection and other harmful things in the body. When these cells become cancer, they may make too many antibodies and a substance called M-protein is found in the blood and urine.
|
|
Definition Cancer that arises in the bone marrow and involves plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that produces proteins called immunoglobulins. Kate Kretschmann.
|
|
Detailed information on myeloma bone disease, including causes, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
|
|
Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer. And there are very few things scarier than being told you have cancer. You may feel like you're in shock. You may not even want to believe what the doctor has told you. And there are probably so many questions you want to ask but think you can't because you don't know where to start.
|
|
Your doctor may find myeloma during a routine visit, even if you don't have symptoms. If you're having symptoms of multiple myeloma, your doctor will ask you about these things.
|
|
There is no way to know for sure if you're going to get multiple myeloma. And there is no known way to prevent it. Certain factors can make you more likely to get this type of cancer than another person. These are called risk factors. Unfortunately, doctors do not know what causes multiple myeloma. Most people who develop it have no known risk factors at all. The risk factors that have been found only slightly raise your chance of getting this type of cancer. Still, tell your doctor if you agree with any of the bolded statements.
|
|
Unfortunately, doctors have not yet found a way to prevent multiple myeloma.
|
|
Screening tests check for signs of cancer in people who don't have any symptoms. There is no standard screening test for the early detection of multiple myeloma. People who believe they are at risk should talk with their doctor.
|
|
There are often no symptoms in the early stages of myeloma. Any symptoms that do occur depend on the extent of the disease. This is a list of symptoms for all stages of multiple myeloma.
|
|
Your treatment options for multiple myeloma depend on how much the cancer has affected your health, kidney function, and other organs. The goal of treatment is to control the cancer for as long as possible and to keep you comfortable.
|
|
Multiple myeloma is a cancer that harms plasma cells in the bone marrow. Plasma cells normally help fight infection, but in this case, they become cancerous. As the cancer grows and spreads, it may travel into and damage your bone tissue.
|
|
This type of treatment gets your immune system to more effectively attack the cancer cells.
|
|
This treatment destroys your bone marrow to get rid of the cancer cells there. Then your bone marrow is replaced either with your bone marrow or with marrow from a donor.
|
|
You may have supportive treatments for multiple myeloma. These treatments don't cure the myeloma, but they can help treat your symptoms.
|
|
Each type of treatment for multiple myeloma has a different goal. Here is a list of main treatments and their goals for myeloma. They are listed in the order from the most to the least common. You may have more than one of these treatments.
|
|
Multiple myeloma tends to stay in the bone marrow. It affects areas of the body where bone marrow is present. Here are some of the most to least common areas that may be affected.
|
|
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. For this treatment, you will see a medical oncologist. This is a doctor who specializes in using drugs to treat cancer. For multiple myeloma, your doctor is likely to give you more than one drug. This is called combination chemotherapy.
|
|
Radiation therapy is one way to treat multiple myeloma. This treatment is also called radiotherapy. It uses X-rays to control the growth of cancer cells. Radiation is a local treatment. That means it affects the cancer cells only in the area treated.
|
|
This treatment for multiple myeloma is similar to a bone marrow transplant. It destroys your bone marrow to get rid of the cancer cells there. The difference between stem cell and bone cell transplant is where the cells to be transplanted are collected. For bone marrow transplant, the cells come from the hip bone--yours or a donor's. For stem cell transplant, the cells come from blood--yours or a donor's. If you're using your own cells, it's called an autologous transplant. If you're using cells from a donor, it is called an allogeneic stem cell transplant.
|
|
One of the main immunotherapy drugs used for multiple myeloma is Thalomid (thalidomide). Not everyone who takes this drug has side effects. If you do, they may include one or more of these, listed from the most to least common.
|
|
Radiation affects both normal cells and cancer cells. This means it can cause side effects. What they are depends on what part of your body is treated. Common side effects of radiation include fatigue and skin changes.
|
|
It's likely that you will have physical concerns since your cancer may cause symptoms and your treatment may cause side effects. In this section, you'll learn more about how to respond to some of the most common side effects and symptoms from treating multiple myeloma.
|
|
The early side effects of transplants are mostly from the high-dose chemotherapy you get before the transplant, not from the transplant itself. These should go away as you recover from the transplant. These are some of the most common side effects. They vary based on whether the transplanted cells came from you or from a donor. Ask your doctor which side effects you are most likely to have.
|
|
Before deciding on treatment options, your doctor will need to know the extent, or stage, of the multiple myeloma. Your doctor will look at the results of blood tests, X-rays, and bone marrow tests to determine the stage of the cancer.
|
|
Treating your cancer to get the best results is important. But your quality of life also matters. Let your doctor and nurse know if you are experiencing any side effects or discomfort. Make sure you tell your doctor or nurse how these problems affect your day-to-day life. Your healthcare team is there to help you manage your symptoms as well as to treat your cancer.
|
|
Dealing with your feelings is often easier as you learn more about the cancer and get support from others. Your healthcare team can answer your questions. Talking with friends and family or others who have had cancer can help. Meeting with a social worker, counselor, or member of the clergy may also help you talk about your feelings. Recognizing your feelings can help you cope with them, and that in turn may help ease some of your symptoms and side effects. Pain, for instance, gets worse with stress. Many people with cancer go to support groups to share what they've learned about cancer and its treatments. Here are some ways you may find support.
|
|
Each year, families across the nation take a step in the right direction to further the fight against blood cancers.
|
|
The treatments to destroy cancer cells can harm healthy cells at the same time, and that means treatment can cause side effects.
|
|
Chemotherapy affects both normal cells and cancer cells. Side effects depend on the type and amount of drugs you take. Here are some common side effects that people with multiple myeloma have when they take chemotherapy. Ask your doctor which ones are the most likely to happen to you.
|
|
Multiple myeloma is a cancer in which antibodyproducing plasma cells grow in an uncontrolled and invasive(malignant) manner.Multiple myeloma, also known as plasma cell myeloma, is the second-most common cancer of the blood. It is the most common t...
|
|
Some people use statistics to try to figure out their chance of getting cancer or of being cured. It is important to remember that this data shows what happens with large groups of people. Because no two people are alike, this information can't be used to know or predict what will happen to you.
|
 |
Lymphomas are a group of cancers in which cells of the lymphatic system become abnormal and start to grow uncontrollably. Because there is lymph tissue in many parts of the body, lymphomas can start in almost any organ of the body.The lymphatic sy...
|
|
Detailed information on lymphomas, including Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
|
|
Lymphoma is the name of a diverse group of cancers of the lymphatic system, a connecting network of glands, organs and vessels whose principle cell is the lymphocyte.When lymphoma occurs, cells in the lymphatic system grow abnormally. They divide ...
|
|
It may sound harsh to ask the question, "Can I survive this?” But it's a natural question when you are facing lymphoma. Unfortunately, there isn't an easy answer.
|
|
Many side effects of treatment end once the treatment ends. But others may develop over time. Or they may be a sign of more serious changes from treatment. For example, chemotherapy can affect organs, such as kidneys or lungs. Also, when lymphoma cells break down during treatment, they release their contents into the bloodstream. This can cause tumor lysis syndrome, which can affect your kidneys, heart, and nervous system. If you have a stem cell transplant, the immune system cells from a donor attack your lymphoma cells. They can also attack your normal cells, causing a variety of side effects. And, in rare cases, you may develop another type of lymphoma as a later effect of the treatment.
|
|
Lymphomas are a group of cancers in which cells of the lymphatic system become abnormal and start to grow uncontrollably. Because there is lymph tissue in many parts of the body, lymphomas can start in almost any organ of the body.The lymph system...
|
|
Malignant lymphomas are a group of cancers in which cells of the lymphatic system become abnormal and start to grow uncontrollably and spread(metastasize) throughout the body. Because lymph tissue is in many parts of the body, lymphomas can start ...
|
|
Detailed information on the most common types of inflammatory and infectious disorders in children
|
|
Loneliness is one of the most formidable obstacles to health and quality of life for the nearly 35 million Americans 65 or older. Unfortunately, recognizing this enemy isn't as easy as we might think.
|
Home | About | Health Experts | Careers | Site Map | Feedback | Help | Health Tools | Tell a Friend
Advertise | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Advertise | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2005 - 2009 Healthline Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.