Leukemia
By Gabby Paquette
What is Leukemia and How Does it Affect the Body?
Who is Affected?
How Does this Condition Arise?
How is this Condition Diagnosed?
A doctor can determine if someone has Leukemia in many ways. A doctor will first question about the symptoms, check to see if the symptoms are still affecting the person, and do a complete physical exam. A doctor then can request for a CBC(complete blood count) to test and see how many white, and red blood cells people have along with how many platelets, to determine if there are any abnormal or faulty cells. A doctor can also test your bone marrow by inserting a tube-like needle into your bone. The bone marrow sample will then be examined to look for the abnormal Leukemia cells. Another choice of test is getting X-rays, MRIs, ultrasounds, or CT scans to help decide if the Leukemia is moving to other parts of the body. Doctors also classify Leukemia by the stage and how fast the Leukemia is moving.
Signs and Symptoms
joint pain also in bones
always feeling exhausted
lack in hunger
swollen glands
random fevers
intestinal discomfort
night sweats
constant bleeding of the nose
small red dots on skin
infections
Treatment
There are many ways to treat each type of Leukemia. Patients have a choice of getting multiple treatments including Stem Cell Transplants, Radiation Therapy, Targeted Therapy, Biological Therapy, and Chemotherapy. When given a Stem Cell Transplant, patients receive high amounts of Chemo or Radiation Therapy before their infected bone marrow is replaced with healthy bone marrow. People who are given Radiation Therapy are placed in a room where doctors use X-rays to spot point on your body where they can destroy the Leukemia Cells and stop them from continuing to prosper. With Targeted Therapy, patients are given medication that focuses in on certain weak spots in the cells that tries to manage the sickness. Biological Therapy works to show your Immune System how to react to the Leukemia cells so that it can kill them off. Chemotherapy is one of the most commonly used treatments. It uses a drug that can be taken as a pill or inserted with an IV. This treatment targets the Leukemia cells to kill them off.
Prognosis
Out of all cancers, Leukemia is ranked as number six in the United States for causing the most deaths. It is predicted that 57.2% of people with Leukemia will survive 5 years or more. Tests have show that there were approximately 52,380 diagnoses of Leukemia is 2014. Studies have shown that in 2014 around 24,090 people died from Leukemia. About 1.4% of all males and females at some point in their life will be told they have Leukemia. There are around 302,800 people in the U.S. currently fighting this condition.
Connections
Works Cited
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