Cancer is a broad category encompassing many different diseases; blood cancer is a term that is used to describe a variety of diseases. Though each individual blood cancer may vary from one another, they are all diseases of the bone marrow or lymphatic system that result from damage to one cell that subsequently grows uncontrollably.
Significance
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society estimates that approximately every four minutes, one person is diagnosed with a blood cancer, and every 10 minutes, an individual dies from a blood cancer. For children under the age of 20 years old, leukemia, one of the blood cancers, is the leading cause of cancer death.
Types
Different kinds of blood cancers include leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes. Leukemia is cancer of the blood and bone marrow; lymphoma is a cancer that originates in the lymphatic system and cancer of plasma cells is called myeloma. Myelodysplastic syndromes encompass a variety of cancers of the blood and bone marrow, according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Symptoms
Symptoms of blood cancers can vary, depending on the specific type of disease, and many symptoms can also be mistaken for other diseases. Leukemia symptoms can include cuts taking a long time to heal, pale skin, persistent fatigue and easy bruising or bleeding. Symptoms of Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can include painless swelling of one or more lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, itching and weight loss, says the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The American Cancer Society lists symptoms of multiple myeloma, including bone pain, low blood counts, high blood calcium, kidney problems and frequent infections. Myelodysplastic syndrome symptoms are due to a shortage of one or more types of cells; this can include fatigue, shortness of breath, easy bruising, pale skin and frequent infections.
Treatment
Treatment may consist of one or more modalities, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, stem cell transplant and immunotherapy. Radiation therapy for blood cancers typically involves aiming radiation toward the body from a machine; the high-intensity rays damage cell DNA, preventing cancer cells from replicating. According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, chemotherapy is the most commonly used treatment for blood cancers and consists of the use of drugs or chemicals to kill cancer cells. Stem cell transplants involve using either a donor's stem cells or the patients' stem cells to rebuild the patients' diseased blood and immune system. Immunotherapy uses drugs that help enable the individual's own immune system to help fight the cancer.
Survival
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society estimates that approximately 912,938 people in the United States are living with or have survived a blood cancer. Long-term side effects are emerging, but many cancer centers and oncologists provide survivor care for patients to help monitor any changes or side effects that may occur as a result of the cancer treatments.
References
- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Facts and Statistics
- American Cancer Society: Multiple Myeloma: Can multiple myeloma be found early?
- American Cancer Society: How is myelodysplastic syndrome found?
- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Chemotherapy
- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Blood and marrow stem cell transplants
