Essay Example on Blood Cancers: Understanding Hematological Cancers & Its Effects

Hematological cancers occur when there is something improper with the development of the blood cells. The functioning and production of blood cells are greatly affected by Blood Cancers. This can interfere with the regular operation of the body, like the prevention of infections and rebuilding your body. The Stem cells mature and build up into more than one type of Hematological cell: leukocyte (white blood cells), red blood cells, and platelets in the bone marrow. The three main types of Blood Cancers are Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma. When there is a rise in the production of leukocyte in the body, it causes Leukemia. Lymphoma is a cancer of lymphocytes, which is the body immune system, And Myeloma forms in the blood cell which is a type of white blood cell; also it produces a medium weakening the bones, and abnormal production of proteins leading to indication in other body parts (Ali & Sultana, 2012). This paper focuses on the general information about blood cancers, the extent of blood cancers, population affected by Cancer, and how organizations such as be the match address the problem.

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Blood cancer signs and symptoms are hard to detect since they always come slowly, and in other cases, there are no signs and symptoms altogether. Leukemia comes about when the hematological cells are produced in the bone marrow, making the manufacturing of white blood cells to be out of control and increased life span for the overproduced white blood cells. These white blood cells do not help in the immune system of the body, unlike the healthy white blood cells. Anemia is one of the signs of Leukemia and its related symptoms, for instance, fatigue and illness. Other symptoms include; bleeding easily, headaches, lack of appetite, and loss of weight, swollen lymph nodes in the armpits, neck, and the swollen spleen will cause pain in the left underneath the lower ribs.

Lymphocytes are the lymph cells, and in some cases, it becomes cancerous, which affects the lymph system which protects the body. The series moves the lymph fluid in the body aided by the lymph nodes and the vessels. Bacteria and viruses are captured by the Lymph nodes, which are the filters, thus preventing infection from escalating. In early stages, there are no symptoms of Lymphoma, but one can come across enlarged lymph nodes during a checkup. The lymph nodes may be discovered in the stomach, upper chest, armpit, groin, and neck. The typical early symptoms of blood cancer include: fatigue, stomach ache, sudden weight loss, and cough, enlarged spleen, sweating at night, breathe shortness and rash in the skin folds

Myeloma cancer forms in the plasma cell, which is a type of white blood cell. The primary function of the Plasma cells is to battle with infections; it achieves this by assimilating antibodies with the germs and finally attacking them. Kahler's disease makes the cancerous cells to build up in the bone marrow. Organ damage occurs when the plasma cells spill out of the bone marrow; this is when Multiple Myeloma gets critical. Unfortunately, there are no definite causes of Multiple Myeloma. But the Blood cancer is most likely to get when one is older than 65, if you are a male, having a family member with it, when exposed to radiation waves, and when you're an African American. Multiple myelomas are commonly associated with loss of weight, stomach upsets, constipation, chronic thirst, fatigue and weakness, and in some cases, confusion.

Blood cancer stages are divided into four major parts is based on metastasis. The stages are categorized following the symptoms and the rate at which metastasis is taking place.

Stage 1

In this phase, there is an enlargement of the lymph nodes; this is caused by an unanticipated increase in the number of lymph cells. The main risk at this part is very minimal as the diseases have not moved or affected any other physical body organs.

Stage 2

In the 2nd stage of hematological Cancer, there is an enlargement of the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. These organs do not necessarily get affected in the same period, but one of these organs gets affected in this stage most definitely. The growth rate of lymph cells is very high.

Stage 3

There is the development of Anemia in the 3rd stage, and the organs mentioned above are still enlarged. In this phase, more than two organs are affected.

Stage 4

The high risk is in this last stage of blood cancer. Platelets begin to drop fast. The affected cells begin affecting other organs, including the lungs. In this stage, the Anemia is probably to be acute.

There is a cure rate in Blood Cancers depending on the type of Hematological cancer one is suffering from. In cases of Chronic lymphocytic Leukemia and Myeloma do not necessarily have a cure, but one can live for long. The survival rate has drastically increased in the previous decade ranging from 42%-Myeloma and 85% -Hodgkin Lymphoma. Blood Cancers treatments vary because there are more than one different type; some of the treatments include chemotherapy, stem cell transplant, and immunotherapy. There has been a significant improvements in blood cancer treatment, increasing the of remission and survival (Ali & Sultana, 2012).

The extent of Blood Cancer

Blood cancer is more prevalent in the US compared to other forms of Cancer. As a fact, at least one person is diagnosed with blood cancer every 3 minutes. In 2019, at least 176,200 people were diagnosed with blood cancer (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 2019). Data from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society note the prevalence of blood cancer to be an estimated 1399180 persons (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 2019). This total adds to the number of people living with the condition or those in remission from the disease.

Populations Affected

Blood cancer mainly affects children between the ages of 3 and 5. Young adults are least affected, with numbers increasing with the adults of over 75 years of age. Individuals affected are most likely to have a relationship with another affected person. Additionally, one could be affected if they were treated with radiation or chemotherapy for a different type of blood cancer. Besides those exposed, people who have been near a lot of radiation could be affected by the condition. Some diseases such as Down syndrome or another genetic condition are also among the risk factors for the situation. Over 1.2 million people are living with or in remission in the United States from hematological cancers. The most common type of Cancer in children and adolescents is Leukemia, and it is about 30% of childhood cancers. Its diagnosis is ten times more regularly in adults than in children. A leukemia diagnosis is projected to affect 60,300 people this year, and more than 382,000 people are already affected, or they are in remission. Daily, 170 Americans are found to be having Leukemia, and approximately 67 succumb to it.

There are more than 83,000 cases of Lymphoma, either Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin expected this year. The current population living with Lymphoma or are in remission currently stands at 845,076. In the United States, the 7th common type of Cancer is Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. There are 220 new cases of Lymphoma reported daily in the United States, and 58 dies from the Cancer. The population living with Myeloma is approximately 118,273 in the United States, and 31,000 new cases are expected this year alone. Finally, Leukemia affects Genders, all ages, and races. The survival rate for Leukemia and non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma is five years; this is lower for the African-Americans to that of whites. The five-year survival rate for the Leukemia rate is about 4% lower for Hispanics than that of non-Hispanic whites.

Blood cancers are a big problem affecting people of all ages, and this has seen various organizations and foundations rising to fight this menace. A good example is Be The Match Foundation, which offers another chance at life. The foundation offers hope for a cure; the populations diagnosed with hematological cancers can be offered stem cell transplant giving them a second chance of living. The foundation can find compatible stem cell donors and gives both the patient and the donor support during the transplant period. The recovery journey includes the diagnosis to recovery; also, the foundation undertakes intensive medical research, which improves the results and the quality for the patients who went through the transplant journey. The services offered by the foundation are global. They have locations throughout the globe, and the majority of the patients and stem cell donors are from the United States, but their mission is based on serving internationally.

Blood cancers affect millions of the population annually. Due to the rising rate of infections, organizations, and foundations such as Be The Match are coming up with strategies for diagnosis treatment. The rate of a new diagnosis is rising over the years. Lifestyle, genetic disorders, and old age are compounding factors in the high rate of infections. Stem cell Transplant is a form of treatment, the stem cells is preserved after being removed and then the patient undergoes chemotherapy (Henry, 2009). However, Blood cancer treatment may have harsh side effects on the patient. There have been tremendous efforts to reduce the rate of new diagnoses, but there is a need for more future research in fighting the disease.

References

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. (2019). Facts and Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.lls.org/facts-and-statistics/facts-and-statistics-overview/facts-and-statistics?src1=27336&src2=

Ali, Z. D., & Sultana, S. (2012). Blood Cancer: Technical report. 1-5. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.4602.4803

Henry, H. D. (Ed.). (2009). Latest News in Blood Cancer Research. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Amgen Inc. www.pacificcancer.org/cancer-information/cancer-downloads/blood/Latest-News-in-Blood-Cancer-Research.pdf