Doctor Website Cancer Oncology Hospice

Article Navigation

Click Here for more articles

Leukemia in general

by: DR SOON

All malignant cancers are deadly diseases. But when it affects the most vital components of the body then their fatality increases manifold. One such type of cancer is cancer of the blood. Blood is the most important tissue of the body. It is the circulatory fluids which carries and supplies oxygen and other vital elements to all parts of the body. The importance of blood can be understood by the fact that it provides nutrients and other vital elements to all parts of the body.

The most common cancer of the blood is leukemia. Leukaemia is cancer of the white blood cells. These blood cells have access to almost all body organs including brain and heart. The incidence of cancerous cells being carried to the different parts of the body increases drastically due to this fact. Another striking aspect of the blood cancer is that it affects the leukocytes or the “white blood corpuscles” of the blood. These are the ones that protect the body from external infections. Thus the immunity of the body is seen to decrease drastically due to leukemia.

The people living in areas prone to radioactive waste disposal and activity are most common targets of leukemia. Overexposure to radioactivity causes the cells to mutate and function abnormally. Some cases of Down syndrome are associated with an increased risk for leukemia. The abnormal cells are easily detected under the microscope. Thus the doctor suspicious of such a disease advises the patient for a bone marrow examination. The onset can be detected by the swollen lymph nodes of the body which are commonly found in armpits, around the neck and at the thigh.

Chemotherapy is the most effective but a very painful way of killing the cancerous cells. The patient undergoes tremendous pressure as he is injected with lot many chemicals at a time. Another treatment is through the radiation. It is also very treacherous way of getting treated. The patients are seen to loose hair and texture of skin.

Leukemia though very dangerous is still curable and the research in the field is also being done on an extensive basis. Proper treatment at the right time can prevent the progression of this disease. Methods like bone marrow transplant can cure some types of leukaemia.

If you have questions related to this article you may e-mail me at doctor@soontongkiong.com quoting the contents of the article.

About the author

DR SOON is a medical practitioner. He holds four degrees. MBBS (University of Malaya), MBA (University of East Asia), LLB (Hons) (University of Wolverhampton), Master of Medicine (Edith Cowan University

Dr SOON is the owner of AskMyVisitor.com and MyScriptDoctor.com

where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on

many medical, health and lifestyle topics.