The Is The Uncontrolled Growth Of Blood Cancer New Zealand

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

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.

According to the American Cancer Society (2013) stated, “Leukemia is a cancer that starts in early blood-forming cells” (American Cancer Society, 2013). “Most often, leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells, but some leukemias start in other blood cell types” (American Cancer Society, 2013). “Any of the cells from the bone marrow can turn into a leukemia cell” (American Cancer Society, 2013). According to the American Cancer Society (2013) stated, “Once this change takes place, the leukemia cells don’t go through the normal process of maturing” (American Cancer Society, 2013). There are changes that leukemia cells can quickly reproduce themselves and not die when they are suppose too (American Cancer Society, 2013). “They survive and build up in the bone marrow, crowding out normal cells” (American Cancer Society, 2013). “In most cases, the leukemia cells spill into the bloodstream fairly quickly” (American Cancer Society, 2013). “Almost all childhood leukemia is acute leukemias” (American Cancer Society, 2013).

Leukemia is cancerous disease that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes large numbers of blood cells to be produced and enter the blood-stream (National Cancer Institute, 2008, para. 1). It is one of many complicated cancer diseases that affect all ages and have very negative outcomes if not treated properly, and on time. Within the disease are several different types that affect according to how quickly the disease develops and attacks the body. It could be classified as chronic leukemia, which has a slow progress of getting worse or acute leukemia which usually gets worse quickly. The types of leukemia also can be grouped based on the white blood cell that is affected (National Cancer Institute , 2008, p. 1).

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.

Leukemia is a type of cancer that sadly causes around 25,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. The area that it affects is the blood and the bone marrow and like most or all of the types of cancer in the world if not taken control of early it will most likely kill you.

ALL and CML are very different from each other because they have different risk factors, symptoms, and treatments. First of all, ALL is a type of leukemia that begins from the bone marrow and make it produces white blood cells, and it could be mortal in few months if not treated. In addition, these leukemia cells invade the blood cells very quickly. In contrast, CLL is slow-growing cancer that starts in bone marrow, and it affects the red, white, and platelets blood cells. Moreover, people who have CML do not have any symptoms for at least a few years. Second, the risk factors of ALL are radiation exposure, certain chemical exposures, and inherited syndromes like Down’s syndrome and Ataxia-telangiectasia. On the other hand, CML risk factors

Each year there is an estimated 31,000 new diagnosis of leukemia (Gould & Dyer, 2011). Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. Bone marrow the spongy tissue inside the bone is where the blood cells are made (The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). Normal white blood cells fight infections in our bodies. In leukemia, the bone marrow is making abnormal white blood cells. The two main types of white blood cells that leukemia affects are; lymphocytes and myeloid cells (The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). Lymphoblasts are the young cell that will develop into lymphocytes (The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). They are classified as B- lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes (The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). B-lymphocytes make antibodies that fight infections (The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). The T-lymphocytes have many functions, but primarily assist the B-lymphocytes in making antibodies (The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). The myeloid, or granulocytes cells, evolve from the immature myeloblasts to become infection fighting cells. Leukemia makes abnormal cells that grow at a quicker rate than normal white blood cells. Leukemia cells do not stop growing, and do not work like normal white blood cells. Over time these abnormal cells start crowding and blocking the production of red blood cells, platelets and normal white blood cells (The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society).

Leukemia is a cancer that affects the bone marrow. The bon marrow is the soft spongy center of the bone that produces blood cells. Leukemia is found in white blood cells or leukocytes. The white blood cells help to fight ff infections and other diseases. Normally, cells produce in an orderly way, but people that have leukemia the cell production gets out of control. The marrow produces too many immature white blood cells called blasts. They are differently shaped and can’t carry out their usual duties.

• A bone marrow sample helps find signs of cancer that could be affecting blood production.

When a parent takes their child to the doctor the last thing they want to hear is that their child has cancer. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a child to be diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, also known as ALL. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is one of the most common forms of childhood cancer, and “makes up approximately 25% of cancer diagnoses among children under 15 years old” (3). Children under five years of age are at the most risk of developing ALL. Since it is an acute form of cancer once the onset has begun the disease quickly begins to worsen, therefore patients must seek treatment as soon as possible. “ALL is different than other diseases in that it is not just a single disease but also rather a group of related diseases with different subtypes”(1). This uniqueness causes the treatment of ALL to depend on the subtypes the patient has, therefore each

ALL occurs when the cells of the bone marrow develop errors in its DNA causing it become abnormal. This abnormality causes bone marrow cells to continue growing and dividing past when a normal, healthy cells would. When this occurs the bone marrow produces immature cells that grow into leukemic white blood cells called lymphoblast’s which are unable to function properly and lead to healthy cells becoming crowded and dying off. According to the Mayo Clinic childhood ALL is one of the most common types of cancer seen affecting children (around two thirds), especially those who have experienced previous cancer treatment, have a genetic disorder (i.e. down syndrome), or have a sibling will ALL (MayoClinic, 2015). Factors such as age, lab results, and response to chemotherapy treatment affect the prognosis and survival rate of those with ALL. The younger an individual with All is the greater likelihood for recovery with proper treatment. Lab results showing lower numbers of white blood cells have higher chances of likelihood for recovery. Response to treatments such as chemotherapy also influence the likelihood for recovery; Depending on the individual the prognosis is better for those who respond well to treatment i.e. have no evidence of leukemia four to five weeks of treatment than those that don’t (Pietrangelo,

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,

There are two types of leukemia in children; acute and chronic. Acute is fast growing leukemia. Within acute leukemia are three categories: acute lymphocytic (lymphoblastic) leukemia (ALL), acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), and hybrid or mixed lineage leukemia. Acute lymphocytic (lymphoblastic) leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of childhood leukemia and develop from early forms of lymphocytes, also known as white blood cells. Specifically, three out of four childhood leukemias are ALL (About Childhood Leukemia). Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) starts from the myeloid cells that create blood forming cells such as white blood cells (except for lymphocytes), red blood cells, and platelets (About Childhood Leukemia). Hybrid or mixed lineage leukemia are rare forms of childhood leukemia, but can be treated like ALL and AML. On the other end of the spectrum is chronic, or slow growing, leukemia. Chronic leukemia is difficult to treat and are more commonly found in adults than children. There are two types of chronic leukemia: chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is not commonly