Blood Cancer: Symptoms, Causes, Stages, Treatment and Prevention

 Blood Cancer, as its name suggests, is a blood-related cancer or to say that this type of cancer directly affects your blood, bone marrow and lymphatic system.

Our blood is made up of many cells which include – red blood cells (which help in carrying oxygen in our body), white blood cells (which help in fighting infections) and platelets (which help in clotting of blood). Basically they are all made of stem cells and they have the potential to make any type of blood cell. What is blood cancer, its types, symptoms (Blood cancer Symptoms) and how to diagnose, ( Symptoms and Treatment of Blood Cancer ) related information is given below.

What Is Blood Cancer?

As its name suggests, this type of cancer affects the production and function of your blood cells. Blood cancer begins in the bone marrow , which is an integral source of blood production. Stem cells in your bone marrow mature and develop into three types of blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets.

In case of cancer, the blood production process gets disturbed due to the growth of abnormal type of blood cells. Blood cancer can happen to people of any age. The risk of getting this disease is more for people who are 30 years or older.

Cancer is mainly of three types-

1. Leukemia:  which is caused by the continuous production of abnormal white blood cells (WBC).
2. Lymphoma:  Affects the lymphatic system.
3. Myeloma:  Which is cancer of plasma cells, which help in antibody formation.

Leukemia 

This is a type of blood cancer in which the lymphatic system and bone marrow are affected. In leukemia, you will have frequent complaints of fatigue, fever, infection, shortness of breath, yellowing of the skin, weight loss, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, etc.

Blood Cancer Stages

How many stages are there in blood cancer? On the basis of metastasis, blood cancer is divided into stages. These stages can be determined according to the symptoms and rate of blood cancer. Metastasis occurs when cancer spreads from one organ to another that is not directly connected to it.

There are mainly 4 stages of cancer, they are as follows:

1. 1. Stage 1 – Due to the sudden increase in the number of lymphocytes, the lymph nodes also increase. This stage carries less risk than others and cancer is curable in this stage as the development of metastasis does not start completely in this stage.
   2. stage 2 – In this stage, the body parts of the patient like spleen, liver and lymph nodes get enlarged. Not all the organs are affected at the same time, rather the cancer attacks these organs gradually.
   3. stage 3 – In this stage, the patient becomes a victim of anemia and the spleen, liver and lymph nodes are affected by cancer. More than two organs are definitely affected in this stage.
   4. stage 4 –  What happens in the last stage of blood cancer ? This is the last stage in which the effect of cancer on the body is extremely severe ( symptoms of the last stage of blood cancer ) and the possibility of death of the patient increases greatly because blood platelets start falling very rapidly. In this stage, along with the lungs, other important organs get affected by cancer cells.

Causes of Blood Cancer

Blood cancer is caused due to problem in our DNA. Usually these changes in our DNA are caused by reasons we don't understand and are linked to things we can't control. In most of the cases we do not understand what is the reason for the changes in DNA that can lead to blood cancer, research has shown that there are many things which are helpful in developing some types of blood cancer, some of them are given below –

• immunodeficiency
• due to infection with HIV or AIDS
• exposure to X-rays or other radiation rays
• The risk of developing blood cancer increases after chemotherapy.
• Use of insecticides (drugs to kill mosquitoes and cockroaches) and nitrate water increases the risk of blood cancer
• (Heredity) If someone in the family has blood cancer, then his child may also be at risk of getting cancer.
• Blood cancer occurs at the age of 30 years or more
• Can also be caused by smoking and eating tobacco

Causes of blood cancer differ depending on the type, as myeloma only affects adults, while lymphoma usually develops in people aged 15-25 or over 50, and occurs in people who already have problems with their immune systems.

The symptoms of blood cancer are given below in detail, let us know about it.

Symptoms of Blood Cancer

Many types of cancer attack the cells that make your blood. Their symptoms usually come on gradually, so you may not even notice them. And some people do not show any early symptoms of blood cancer. Although some symptoms may be common, but mostly its symptoms depend on its type.  What is the problem with blood cancer ?  Some common symptoms are as follows-

• Fever
• chills
• persistent fatigue
• nausea
• vomiting
• weighing phenomenon
• loss of appetite
• Headache
• shortness of breath
• body immunity event
• continuous bleeding
• get hurt easily
• bleeding gums
• headache with visual disturbances
• difficulty urinating and passing urine
• anorexia
• is weak
• sweating while sleeping
• Abdominal, back and bone pain

• Apart from this, its symptoms can be identified on the basis of all three types, they are as follows-

  Symptoms of Leukemia

  Blood cells are made in our bone marrow and this is where leukemia starts. In leukemia, white blood cells are produced in excessive amounts in our body which are not controlled and these cells live longer than their lifetime period, apart from this, these cells also do not help your body to fight against infection. Some of the symptoms of leukemia are as follows:

  Anemia:  Anemia occurs when your body does not make enough red blood cells. Its main symptoms are as follows:

  • fatigue and weakness
  • shortness of breath
  • Dizziness
  • yellowing of the skin
  • Pain in chest

  Absence of clotting: Platelet cells are helpful in blood clotting. When the blood doesn't clot properly, even a small cut can bleed profusely, along with it, nosebleeds can also be common. Apart from this, some other symptoms are as follows:

  • unusual injury
  • bleeding gums
  • having heavy periods
  • black or red color of bowel movements

  Other symptoms: In leukemia, the white blood cells (WBC) are not able to fight the diseases, due to which the patient often falls sick and takes longer than usual to recover. Apart from this, along with fever, sweating at night can also be common. Cancer cells spread to the lymph nodes, liver and tonsils and can cause swelling in them. Apart from this, your weight loss, loss of appetite can be common problems.

  Symptoms of Lymphoma

  Swelling of the lymph nodes is the main symptom of lymphoma. Apart from this, a lump is formed in the patient's neck, armpit, or groin. Other symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, pain in the chest, abdomen and bones. The patient's spleen may be enlarged, due to which the stomach becomes bloated. Swollen lymph nodes are usually painless, but drinking alcohol can make them painful.

  Apart from this, some other symptoms of lymphoma are as follows-

  • Fever
  • night sweats
  • fatigue and weakness
  • phenomenon of abnormal weight
  • Itching

  Myeloma Symptoms

  In our blood, plasma cells are disease-fighting cells, but myeloma causes plasma cells to build up in your bone marrow out of control and prevent healthy blood cells from forming. Its symptoms (Blood Cancer Symptoms in Hindi) are usually not visible until you notice it.
  Bone pain:  Bone pain is the most common, severe, and long-lasting symptom of myeloma, usually in your back or ribs. Cancer cells release a chemical that stops the normal growth of your bones. It makes your bones thin and weak.

  Hypercalcemia:  Calcium levels increase in myeloma. This can cause the following problems:

  • nausea and stomach pain
  • excessive thirst
  • Constipation
  • loss of appetite
  • weakness
  • confusion

  As soon as these symptoms of blood cancer appear, the doctor should be seen immediately.

  Blood Cancer Test Name

  Doctors recommend these tests to find out the location and staging of blood cancer needed for proper treatment. Let us see what are these tests that are required.

  1. Complete Blood Count
  2. MCED Blood Test
  3. Tumor marker blood tests
  4. Computerized Tomography (CT) scan

  Treatment and prevention of blood cancer 

  Is blood cancer curable or not? Although it is a deadly disease, if it is detected at the right time, it can be prevented from spreading and it can be cured by getting treatment. In our country India, there are healing centers at Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Indore, besides this you can also use the treatments given below. Let us know what kind of treatment can be done and whether there is a cure for cancer by taking precautions:

  Blood Cancer Treatment

  The treatment of blood cancer depends on its types, your age, and how fast the cancer grows, in which of your organs the cancer has spread. Some common treatments and remedies are as follows:

  1. Stem Cell Transplantation:  In this type of treatment, healthy blood cells are infused into the patient's body which help in fighting the unhealthy blood cells. Stem cells can be collected from bone marrow, circulating blood, and umbilical cord blood.
  2. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs that stop cancer cells from growing in the body. Chemotherapy for blood cancer sometimes involves giving several drugs together in a set regimen. It may also be given before a stem cell transplantation.
  3. Radiation therapy:  Radiation therapy is used to kill cancer cells or to relieve pain or discomfort. It can also be given before stem cell transplantation.

  Prevention of Blood Cancer

  • Healthy Diet: Eating vitamins and nutritious food can reduce the chances of getting cancer. Include green and leafy vegetables in your diet chart. Eat vegetables like eggs, mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, vegetables and fruits contain fiber which helps in preventing cancer.
  • Red Meat: Eating red meat increases the risk of cancer by 12%, apart from this, according to a research, women who eat red meat have the highest risk of breast cancer.
  • Food:  Do not eat too much fried-roasted and microwave-cooked food, also avoid heating cold food.
  • Daily Exercise: Exercise is helpful in removing many problems of your body, to avoid cancer, at least five days in a week must walk for about 30 minutes. If there is no time for walk, then do some light exercise at home.
  • Do not smoke: Nicotine goes into our body by smoking which can cause many types of cancer, so it is important not to smoke or eat tobacco.
  • Safe sex: Unsafe sex increases the risk of HIV and AIDS, which increases the risk of getting infected. HIV/AIDS infection is more in the blood. So avoid having sex with a person infected with HIV/AIDS.

  Also read about this in detail: Breast Cancer Symptoms

  Researchers have come up with a therapeutic option to treat blood cancer, which involves the removal of abnormal enzymes or cells responsible for metastasis of blood cancer with the help of drugs. Excess of protein is also responsible for increasing cancer cells, this can also be reduced with the help of researched drugs.