Leukemia, which gives its name to a group of diseases that occur with the uncontrollable proliferation of white blood cells due to changes in the nuclei of the main cells that produce blood in the bone marrow, is divided into acute and chronic. Acute leukemias, which are mostly seen in children, may present with symptoms of anemia, susceptibility to infection, microbial diseases, and varying degrees of bleeding such as fever, bleeding gums, nosebleeds, and bruising on the skin. Symptoms include frequent bruising on the skin or difficulty stopping bleeding when cuts occur. The patient also has weight loss, fever and sweating. Swelling is detected in the lymph nodes, and a feeling of bloating occurs in the abdomen due to enlargement of the spleen and liver. Symptoms such as weakness and pain in bones and joints in the early stages of the disease show parallelism with common complaints such as colds. Therefore, complaints may be overlooked.
While leukemia of unknown cause may develop due to environmental and genetic factors, petrochemicals, radiation, carcinogens and some viruses may be among the causes of the disease. The disease is determined by the detection of enlargement in the liver, spleen or lymph nodes close to the skin in the first doctor’s examination. Bone marrow biopsy, which is performed by examining samples taken from the bone marrow as well as blood tests, is an important step in the diagnosis of the disease. If it is deemed necessary for the diagnosis, a sample of the cerebrospinal fluid can also be taken with a needle inserted through the spinal cord space.
In Some Types of Leukemia “Targeted therapies” do not require transplantation
Leukemia treatment differs according to the type of the disease and the needs of the patient. The extent of the disease, as well as the age and general health of the patient, affect the treatment. The vast majority of leukemia patients receive chemotherapy treatment. In chemotherapy treatment, a single drug can be used or a combination of more than one drug can be applied. In recent years, drugs for the molecular disorder that causes leukemia have also been used, and these are called “targeted therapies”. These drugs, which are mostly used in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), have almost completely eliminated the need for organ transplantation in this type of leukemia. Radiation therapy, such as radiotherapy, can also be used in the treatment of leukemia. In this treatment method, which is mostly used in leukemias involving the brain, high-energy rays are directed to the cancerous cells and the growth of the cells is prevented. Another treatment method for the disease is bone marrow transplantation. In a bone marrow transplant, the bone marrow that causes leukemia is removed with a high dose of medication or radiation and replaced with a healthy bone marrow tissue. Healthy bone marrow can be obtained from a donor, and in some patients, their own bone marrow can be used.
