Leukemia, or leukemia, is a malignant lesion of the hematopoietic organs. In the blood there is an uncontrolled accumulation of white and immature cells - leukocytes. There are many reasons for the development of leukemia. These include - radiation damage, infections and viruses, hereditary factors, some drugs.
Symptoms of leukemia
- Weakness and fatigue;
- Tendency to persistent colds;
- Pallor of the skin;
- Often, acute leukemia can be accompanied by a high fever;
- There is an increase in the spleen, liver and lymph nodes;
- After a while, hemorrhagic diathesis and cachexia join.
Diagnosis of leukemia
The diagnosis of leukemia is exposed after a series of tests and studies. These include:
- Medical examination;
- Bone marrow examination;
- Blood analysis;
- Immunophenotyping;
- Cytogenetic research;
- In some cases, cerebrospinal fluid may be taken for examination.
Forms of leukemia
There are 2 main forms of leukemia - acute myeloblastic and acute lymphoblastic.
Leukemia treatment
When diagnosed with leukemia, treatment should be started immediately. This disease is very insidious and develops quite quickly. Such a patient is hospitalized in a hematological hospital.
The main treatment for leukemia is chemotherapy. In some cases, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is performed. Transfusions of donor lymphocytes are also carried out.
Recently, modern drugs have been used to treat leukemia, which help in the fight against cancer cells.