Blood cancer

General characteristic of a disease

The blood cancer, leukosis or leukemia is the whole group of oncological diseases of a hemopoiesis of the clonal nature. The blood cancer develops because of mutations of cells of marrow and gradual replacement of healthy tissues of a brain by them.

Deficit of healthy cells of a hemopoiesis leads to typical symptoms of a blood cancer: cytopenias (reduction of leukocytes or thrombocytes), anemias, the increased tendency of an organism to hemorrhages and infectious complications.

Tumor cells of a blood cancer, as well as at other oncological diseases, are capable to extend in an organism, to affect lymph nodes and bodies. Most often at late stages of a blood cancer metastasises get into a liver and a spleen, and then into other bodies. At extra marrowy peripheral forms of a blood cancer first of all marrow suffers from metastasises.

Cancerogenic influence of the ionizing radiation is considered one of the main reasons of mutations of the hemopoietic cells. The mass phenomena of symptoms of a blood cancer were observed in post-war Japan, and also at residents of Chernobyl. Can lead radiation to development of a blood cancer during treatment of a lymphogranulomatosis (oncology of an adenoid tissue). Chemical and virus mutagens are considered as one of the factors causing a blood cancer: benzene, cytostatics, etc.

Blood cancer symptoms

The initial stage of a blood cancer, as well as the majority of other oncological diseases, proceeds almost asymptomatically. Rank many somatic signs as early symptoms of a blood cancer: bystry fatigue, sleeplessness or drowsiness, the memory impairment caused by bad blood supply of a brain. Also bad zazhivlyaemost of wounds, their tendency to suppuration is considered one of symptoms of a blood cancer.

Patients with a blood cancer are quite often pale, have pronounced shadows under eyes. Patients with a blood cancer suffer from nasal bleedings, frequent colds and other infectious diseases. Refer temperature increase to subfebrile indicators to additional symptoms of a blood cancer, increase in lymph nodes, and also liver and spleen.

Hematologic symptoms of a blood cancer are established on the basis of laboratory blood tests of the patient.

Diagnosis of a blood cancer

The patient with complaints to the general deterioration in health, with the increased lymph nodes, a liver and a spleen goes for delivery of the general and developed blood tests. Possible hematologic symptoms of a blood cancer are the lowered level of leukocytes, thrombocytes, hemoglobin and detection in blood of unripe blast cells.

The blood cancer form depends on type of modified hemopoietic cells. It is established at the last stage of diagnosis of a blood cancer – a marrow biopsy. Usually the sample of soft tissues of marrow undertakes from a haunch bone in a lower back.

A chest X-ray, KT of the head and an abdominal cavity help to find out extent of distribution of metastasises of a blood cancer.

Blood cancer forms

Traditional classifications of a disease are assumed by division of a blood cancer into two main forms: acute and chronic leukosis. The acute form of a blood cancer is characterized by a large number of the unripe cells oppressing a normal hemopoiesis. Dominance of the granulocytes or granular leucocytes which are gradually replacing healthy hemopoietic cells is considered a symptom of a blood cancer of a chronic form.

Acute and chronic forms of a blood cancer – two individual hematologic diseases. Unlike other diseases the acute blood cancer cannot develop into a chronic form of a leukosis, and the chronic blood cancer cannot "become aggravated".

Blood cancer stages

During an acute form of a leukosis allocate several stages of a blood cancer. The initial stage of a blood cancer is characterized by the normal or only slightly changed indicators of composition of blood, the general deterioration in health and a sharpening of persistent infections. The initial stage of a blood cancer of an acute form is diagnosed only retrospectively when its period comes to the end and the disease passes into the following phase.

Pronounced changes of composition of blood are characteristic of the developed stage of a blood cancer. After treatment the developed stage of a blood cancer flows in remission (lack of blast cells in the patient's blood within 5 years) or in a blood terminal cancer. At it full oppression of system of a hemopoiesis is observed.

Stages of a blood cancer of a chronic form have the specifics. The initial stage of a blood cancer or monoclonal proceeds without any external symptoms and is diagnosed quite often accidentally at professional survey or during blood analyses in connection with other disease. At this stage of a blood cancer the increased quantity of granular leucocytes is diagnosed. Their surplus is removed by a leukophoresis method, and the disease can proceed for years.

At the second stage of a blood cancer of a chronic form or a polyclonal phase at the patient secondary tumors are formed. Their emergence is followed by the accelerated increase in number of blast hemopoietic cells therefore the disease passes into the heaviest stage of a blood cancer with complications in the form of generalized damage of lymph nodes, significant increase in a liver and a spleen.

Blood cancer at children

The most common form of a blood cancer at children - an acute lymphoblastoid leukosis. It occurs in 80% of all cases of the diagnosed blood cancer at children and makes about a third of all children's oncological diseases. The peak of occurrence of a leukosis is observed at patients of 2-5 years. Higher probability of a blood cancer at children with chromosomal disturbances, and also at the little patients who underwent the ionizing radiation in the early childhood or vnutriutrobno.

There are also a hypothesis of influence of the postponed infectious diseases on probability of development of a blood cancer in children and one more theory of a possible prenatal origin of a children's leukosis. Early manifestation of symptoms of a blood cancer at children is explained by this fact.

Blood cancer therapy

The main method of cancer therapy of blood – chemotherapy cytostatic drugs. Duration of chemotherapeutic cancer therapy of blood averages 2 years: 6 months of a hospital and one and a half years of out-patient treatment. A blood cancer at the initial stage – the most difficult period of therapy for the patient. Within the first weeks to the patient continuous intravenous injections are carried out.

At a stage of disintegration of a tumor cancer therapy of blood continues completion of thrombocytes and erythrocytes donor blood. At the same time the entire period of hospitalization of a blood cancer is observed the most strict sanitary mode with the maximum barrier of the patient from contacts with the outside world. This necessity is caused by lack of a host defense at the patient in connection with mass destruction of leukocytes.

After remission approach further cancer therapy of blood is directed to fixing of result. In case of need after several weeks of recovery the patient with a blood cancer undergoes radiation therapy of area of a brain.

At a disease recurrence the protocol of cancer therapy of blood assumes the direction of the patient on bone marrow transplantation. The relative or the person compatible by birth can be his donor. The some of coincidence on HLA scale, the forecast of cancer therapy of blood is more optimistical.

The forecast of cancer therapy of blood at children optimum: the infantile leukosis successfully recovers more than in 70% of cases. Refer early diagnosis of a disease, the small sizes of tumoral weight and the minimum damage of lymph nodes to the factors which are positively influencing the result of cancer therapy of blood at children.