Blood cancer

The majority of blood cancers, also referred to as hematologic cancers, begin in the bone marrow, where blood is made. Blood cancers arise when irregular blood cells start to develop out of control, interrupting the function of normal blood cells that combat infection and create new blood cells. The development and function of your blood cells are impaired by blood cancers.

Most of these cancers start where blood is formed in your bone marrow. Stem cells grow and turn into three blood cell forms in your bone marrow: red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets. In most blood cancers, uncontrolled growth of an irregular form of blood cell prevents the normal blood cell production method. These abnormal blood cells, or cancer cells, stop the blood from performing many of its functions, such as preventing severe bleeding or fighting off infections.

What are the types of blood cancer?

There are three main types of blood cancers:

• Leukemia : The rapid development of irregular white blood cells causes a form of cancer that is located in your blood and bone marrow. The large number of defective white blood cells are unable to combat infection and hinder the bone marrow’s capacity to produce red blood cells and platelets.
• Lymphoma : It is a form of cancer of the blood that affects the lymphatic system, which removes the body from excess fluids and generates immune cells. Lymphocytes are an infection-fighting type of white blood cells. In your lymph nodes and other tissues, dysfunctional lymphocytes become lymphoma cells, which grow and accumulate. These cancerous cells impair the immune system over time.
• Myeloma : This is plasma cell cancer. Plasma cells are white blood cells that contain antibodies in your body that combat disease and infection. Myeloma cells inhibit normal antibody development, leaving the immune system of your body compromised and vulnerable to infection.

What are the symptoms of blood cancer?

Symptoms of blood cancer vary by disease but typically include the following:

• Fever
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Bone and joint pain
• Weight loss

The swelling of lymph nodes, liver, and spleen is also common, and anemia can occur in some blood cancers.

Who is at risk of blood cancer?

The risk factors for blood cancer are not well known, but blood cancers are believed to arise from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Smoking, exposure to radiation, and exposure to chemicals such as benzene (a frequently used industrial chemical) have also been associated with an increased risk of some forms of blood cancers. Some risk factors for developing lymphomas and leukemias are Epstein-Barr virus, HIV and human T-cell lymphoma/leukemia virus infections.

What are the treatment options for blood cancer?

Treatment depends on the form of blood cancer, your age, how rapidly the cancer progresses, and whether the cancer has spread to other areas of the body.

Since blood cancer therapies have advanced significantly over the past few decades, several forms of blood cancers are now highly treatable. The following are typical treatments:

• Chemotherapy : In order to kill and avoid the development of cancer cells, anticancer drugs are introduced to the body (via injection into the vein or often by taking a pill).
• Radiation therapy : To destroy cancer cells, this type of cancer treatment uses high-energy rays.
• Targeted therapies : Drugs that directly destroy malignant blood cells are used in this type of cancer treatment, without damaging normal cells. Most commonly targeted treatments are used to treat leukemia.
• Bone marrow/stem cell transplantation : To help resume safe blood production after treatment to remove malignant blood cells, healthy stem cells may be injected into the body.
• Cancer Surgery : To cure certain lymphomas, this therapy includes removing the infected lymph nodes.
• Immunotherapy: The immune system is triggered by this procedure to directly destroy cancer cells.
• CAR T Cell therapy: CAR T-cell therapy is a highly developed immunotherapy for blood cancer such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. It’s a process that entails the transformation of a patient’s T cells to carry Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) that will allow them to identify and target cancer cells. The procedure is done by obtaining T cells from the patient, genetically modifying them in the lab, growing them, and administering them back into the patient. CAR T-cell therapy has been incredibly successful, particularly in relapsed or refractory cases, and has provided long-term remission in most patients. It does need specialized facilities and can be very adverse in nature with the occurrence of cytokine release syndrome (CRS).