What is leukaemia
- Leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. There are many different types of leukaemia - the most common are classified as acute or chronic and divided according to cell type as myeloid or lymphoid.
- Most leukaemias occur in adults (90%) but leukaemia is the major cancer type in children.
- Approximately 2,600 people are diagnosed with acute leukaemia each year and more than 6,500 people with chronic leukaemia.
Causes
- No one knows what the causes of leukaemia are but there are several factors which are known to increase your risk.
Risk Factors
- Smoking: People who smoke are at an increased risk.
- Infection in early life: Some types of lymphoid leukaemia in children and adults have been linked with particular viruses or with generalised patterns of infection early in life.
- Blood Disorders: Certain blood disorders such as aplastic anaemia or myelodysplasia can increase your risk.
- Exposure to Chemicals: Exposure to a benzene – a chemical found in petrol and used in the rubber and plastics industry - is known to increase your risk.
- Familial Inheritance: An inherited genetic variation may influence susceptibility to all blood cell cancers, especially for chronic lymphatic leukaemia in adults.
Signs & Symptoms
The symptoms of the disease are likely to vary depending on the type of leukaemia and how advanced the disease is. In the early stages there may be no symptoms and even at later stages of the disease many of the symptoms can be quite non-specific and easily mistaken for other ailments such as fatigue or flu.
The symptoms can include:
- Tiredness, weakness and breathlessness
- Frequent infections which do not get better
- Increased bruising
- Blood in the urine and/or stools
- Bone pain
- Abdominal pain
- Enlarged lymph glands
If you have any of these symptoms you are advised to see your doctor immediately. In most cases they will not mean you have cancer. However, if you do have cancer it is vital you begin treatment as soon as possible.
Testing and Diagnosis
Leukaemia can be diagnosed by a blood test. Additional tests may be carried out to determine the type of leukaemia and how far it has progressed. These include x-rays, CT scans and removal of bone marrow.
Treatment
The nature of the treatment depends on the type and stage of the disease. Early chronic lymphatic leukaemia may need no treatment at all initially. More acute leukaemias will need intensive chemotherapy possibly followed by peripheral blood stem cell transplant or even bone marrow transplant. Targeted biological therapy is relatively new and involves the customised design and use of small molecules that specifically target and inhibit the abnormal molecules in the leukaemic cells that drive and sustain the disease. These novel therapeutics are less toxic compared with conventional cancer drugs but may still be used in combination with the latter for some types of leukaemia.
With acknowledgment to the Institute of Cancer Research.
