Childhood Leukemia Essay

Today I will be talking about three aspects of Leukemia; First what it is and one of the possible causes, Secondly what are the recognizable symptoms and what tests doctors use to identify leukemia in a young child. And what

Leukemia is a cancer of blood cells, specifically white blood cells that are responsible for fighting infection. However, the abnormal cells in leukemia do not function in the same way as normal white blood cells. Leukemia cells continue to grow and divide, eventually crowding out normal blood cells. The end result is that it becomes difficult for the body to fight infections, control bleeding and transport oxygen (Medicine Net, 2015). It is estimated that each year, approximately 30,800 individuals will be diagnosed with leukemia in the United

A total of 35 children were enrolled into the current study; 15 children had a medical illness, 14 children were siblings of a child with a medical and/or chronic illness, and 6 children were healthy and had healthy family members. The children with medical illnesses and the

Cancer is a word which evokes many different images and emotions. Nothing in this world can prepare a person for the utter devastation of finding out someone has been diagnosed with cancer, especially when this person is a child. Over the past twenty five years the amount of research and the survival rate for children suffering with cancer have increased dramatically. Despite these successes, the funding for new research necessary to keep these children alive and healthy is miniscule and too dependent on short term grants. Of the billions of dollars spent each year on cancer treatments and research less than a third is contributed to researching pediatric cancer. Given the media focus on adult cancers, research for pediatric cancer is

Two of the most common clinical symptoms in childhood disorders is fever and pain . At times when parents present with their children and the different concerns that they have noticed, we as healthcare providers must take them serious and evaluate and investigate each individual circumstance.

Scenario: John is a 4 year-old boy who was admitted for chemotherapy following diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).  He had a white blood cell count of 250,000.  Clinical presentation included loss of appetite, easily bruised, gum bleeding, and fatigue.  Physical examination revealed marked splenomegaly, pale skin color, temperature of 102°F, and upper abdomen tenderness along with nonspecific arthralgia.

DK is a 51-year old male patient presenting with Acute Myeloid Leukemia AML. Two weeks ago while vacationing in Ocean City with his family, DK visited the local hospital with the symptoms of swollen leg, difficulty walking, pain, and fever. Bloodwork was performed at the local clinic and revealed anemia and low cell counts indicating possible leukemia. Patient returned to Baltimore and was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital 1 week ago. His current symptoms are swelling of lower legs, fever, low blood Oxygen level, anemia.

Leukemia broadly describes conditions that affect erythropoiesis in the bone marrow, lymphatic system, and spleen. As with all other cancers, leukemia begins from the mutation of DNA in certain cells. Classifications of leukemias are based on the age of onset and the leukocyte involved (Lewis et al. 2014, 665). The most common leukemia is chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), accounting for approximately 30% of cases in the United States (Copstead and Banasik 2013, 222). The normal function of the bone marrow, spleen, and liver becomes interrupted by the invasion of malignant lymphocytes (B cells); since the B cells are functionally inactive, a patient becomes more susceptible to infections. The sluggish progression of CLL unfortunately leads to late diagnoses and poor prognosis (Lewis et al. 2014, 665). Patients that become symptomatic in later stages will experience fatigue, weight loss, anorexia, and an increased susceptibility to infection, due to abnormal antibody production. Patient specific factors such as age, disease progression, and medication side effects will determine the course of treatment (Copstead and Banasik 2013, 223). The fragile state of patients with CLL requires continuous examination of drug therapy and interventions to prevent further complications.

Thesis/argument statement OR main idea statement: Cancer affects children and their families in many ways.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. It makes up a little more than 3% of childhood

Childhood cancer is something that can bring tears to your eyes when someone you know has been diagnosed. Good news is that approximately 80% of children are now surviving the specific cancers they have been diagnosed with. We know that children that receive chemotherapy and radiation have much greater side effects than ones that only have to deal with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses a specific chemical makeup including anti-cancer drugs and are given to a patient to help get rid of their cancer cells. Radiation, on the other hand, is an emission of energy that can be used to destroy or shrink the cancer cells that are being produced. This type of treatment has much harder consequences and side effects compared to chemotherapy. Some of the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation are some learning and memory issues when the radiation involves the brain. Chest radiations also can cause cancers to come back or new cancers to evolve. These are

After, the doctor gives further treatments to help prevent the return of the signs and symptoms of the disease after an improvement. Most of patient with acute forms of leukemia can be cured today. It is one of the most curable forms of cancer. Chronic leukemia is detected through a routine blood test before symptoms appear. With this people may not need treatment right away if they are not having symptoms yet, the doctors monitor the disease until treatment is needed. Most of the time it cannot be cured, but it can be controlled.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is slow-progressing or “chronic”, cancer of the blood and bone marrow. CLL is the second most common leukemia in adults and one of the four primary types of leukemia. Certain risk factors have been identified including age, race, sex, family history of blood and bone marrow cancers and chemical exposure. Most people diagnosed with CLL are white males over the age of 60. Occurrence increases with age and a marked increase after 60. Herbicides, insecticides and Agent Orange used in the Vietnam War have shown to increase the risk of developing CLL. There are approximately 15,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia is a scary disease. The term “acute” means the disease can quickly spread and progress quickly and can prove fatal in months if left untreated. “Lymphocytic” simply means that it develops from immature forms of lymphocytes. Also known as Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, or ALL for short, it is a type of cancer that starts from the early form of white blood cells called lymphocytes in the bone marrow. ALL is the most common form of cancer in children, though adults can get it as well. For children, treatment results in a good chance of a cure. Adults have a significantly smaller chance of a cure with ALL. ALL generally invades the blood very quickly and has the potential to spread to other body parts such as the spleen,

Leukemia is something that we hear about a lot. I believe that people do not understand exactly what leukemia is and how dangerous it can be, I chose this topic to try to help them understand. In this paper I will explain what leukemia is and what treatments you can choose from to treat the cancer.