Cancer is one of the most prevailing disorders that is becoming a threat to the human race worldwide. It is becoming more threatening to the human population, as there are several routes of cancer causing and the progress of the disease is very fast and tough to prevent. The key fact regarding cancer development is the abnormal cell growth, which the body immune system unable to control (Heim and Mitelman 2015). Thus, cancer is defined as a group of diseases, which involve abnormal cell growth with the potential to spread throughout the other body parts. In this report, the key focus would be a specific type of blood cancer, known as leukaemia. In this context, the cause of the disorder, how it is affecting the body and available treatments would be discussed.
Based on the cause and the affected parts of the body, the disease has been classified in several types of cancer. Some of the most common types of cancer are being listed here:
Among these common cancer types, leukaemia is one of the most common type, which will be discussed in the next part.
Leukaemia is malignant neoplasms, a specific group of cancer that results in high or abnormal number of white blood cells. The root of the cancer is embedded in bone marrow defects, where the white blood cells are produced and matured. The defected white blood cells are not fully developed and known as blasts. As a result of lack of normal white blood cells, symptoms like fever, tiredness, increased infection risk; bleeding and bruising problems are seen. As the white blood cells act as the protector of body from the infections affecting the body, as these are unable to act normally, the chance of infection increases (Almeida and Barry 2011).
Figure: Difference between normal and Leukaemia blood
(Source: Quackenbush and Sulston 2011)
There are four major types of leukaemia:
|
Cell type |
Acute |
Chronic |
|
Lymphocytic |
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia |
(CLL) |
|
Myelogenous |
Acute myelogenous leukemia |
(CML) |
According to the severity:
According to affected blood cells:
Specific type:
No single known factor has been reported as the cause of all types of leukaemia. Different types have different causes, as discussed earlier. It is the result of mutations in DNA, which may activate oncogenes or deactivate tumor suppressor gene, which ultimately leads to disruption of cell cycle, cell death and growth regulation. There are various reasons, which may lead to the mutation to DNA. For instance, exposing to radiation is a key cause of DNA damage, which includes Sr-90 emission from nuclear reactors. On the other hand, genetic predisposition for leukaemia development is another cause, which is promoted by heredity, family history or identical twins (Quackenbush and Sulston 2011). For instance, some people with chromosomal abnormality have increased risk of leukaemia development, i.e. genetic abnormality of philadelpia is related to CML development. Some non-ionizing radiation has been shown to have significant association with childhood leukaemia.
Overall, leukaemia affects the body through disruption of the usual balance of the blood cells and the ability to act as body defence system. Overall the disease causes the development of abnormal and immature white blood cells, which are unable to complete their normal function to support the body system. As a result, the reduced level of white blood cells causes the immune system to be regulated in an abnormal fashion. As a result, body manifests several effects of leukaemia, which are as follows:
Anaemia- Leukaemia causes the production abnormal and immature blood cells; as a result the normal and mature blood cell production is ceased. As leukaemia causes less production of red blood cells, the oxygen circulation through the body is also reduced this leads to the anaemic symptoms in the patient (Mullighan et al. 2011).
Easy bruising and bleeding- Platelets are derived from the major type of white blood cells, i.e. macrophages. However, leukaemia affects the production and development of macrophages, as a result the platelet production is also negatively affected, which a key factor of blood is clotting. Thus, blood clotting becomes difficult and patient becomes prone to bruise and bleed from any parts of the body.
Susceptibility to infections- As white bloods are the defender of body immune system against any kinds of foreign pathogens, lack of these leads to downturn of body immune system, as a result the opportunistic pathogens grow and start to invade the body significantly, enhancing the risk of common to life-threatening infections (Smith and McKerrell 2013).
Swollen lymph nodes- Lymph nodes are composed of a cluster of lymphocytes. Leukaemia causes abnormal WBC and lymphocytes production, which causes cluster of these on lymph nodes in armpits, groin and throat, which causes swollen lymph nodes and pain.
General loss of wellbeing- As the overall body defence system is affected negatively; the overall physiological well being is lost. As body becomes susceptible to infection and lacks oxygen to every parts, tiredness, fatigue, nausea, weight loss promote an overall ill health.
There are several treatments available for treating specific type of leukaemia with a goal of ensuring the survival of the patient. However, it is known to all that chronic leukaemia cannot be cured, but the bellow mentioned therapies help to improve the disease status by controlling its progress.
Chemotherapy- It is the procedure of administrating medications that directly kills cancer cells. The treatment may include oral pills or intravenous administration directly into the bloodstream. However, as these medications are targeted to the proliferating cells, sometimes these medications also harm and kill healthy proliferating cells, which cause common side effects (Campbell et al. 2011).
Biological therapy- It refers to the cancer treatment with living organisms. For instance, this treatment helps the immune system to recognize the cells that are proliferating abnormally and attack them. As no foreign products are used, the severity of side effect is less than chemical therapies.
Targeted therapy- This therapy has been developed in recent decade, which promote identifying the target cancer cells and ceasing their growth instead of eradicate these cells rapidly, as a result the side effects are less severe than chemotherapy (Irving 2016). These therapies cause the target cells’ enlargement to be ceased, by interfering with their growth promoting factors.
Radiation therapy- This is a common stage of cancer therapy. This therapy utilizes the high energy radiation, targeting the cancer cells. These therapies are mainly used in case of the cancer, which has been started to metastasize throughout the body parts. However, exposure to the radiation is harmful for the normal and non-malignant cells.
Stem cell transplant- As the cancer causing defect is embedded at the root of blood cell production in bone marrow; replacing the defective stem cells in bone marrow with the wild type stem cells, capable of producing healthy blood cells, will lead to the production of wild type white blood cell, restoring the normal function of body. In these therapies, stem cell from a donor is transplanted through intravenous route (Mulroy et al. 2012).
Supportive treatment- Supportive treatments are provided for reducing the risk of secondary infections and other disorders, which may develop opportunistically, when the body defence system is weak as a result of leukaemia. Moreover, these therapies also help to minimize the risk of side effects of medical therapy of leukaemia. These supportive treatments include flu vaccine, anti-nausea medication and antibiotics to combat with infection.
Conclusion
No certain causes or factors can be specified as the causative factors of cancer, rather there are a set of factors, promoting specific type of cancer. Thus, prior understanding and implementing therapies for cancer treatment, the type and severity of cancer should be determined, understanding the root cause, which is needed to be ceased. Here, the focus was a specific type of cancer, i.e. leukaemia. The detailed causes, classification, symptoms, effects upon the body and available treatment of the cancer type have been discussed here.
Reference List
Almeida, C.A. and Barry, S.A., 2011. Cancer: basic science and clinical aspects. John Wiley & Sons.
Campbell, P.J., Harrison, C. and Green, A.R., 2011. Myeloproliferative neoplasms. Postgraduate Haematology, Seventh Edition, pp.474-499.
Heim, S. and Mitelman, F., 2015. Cancer cytogenetics: chromosomal and molecular genetic aberrations of tumor cells. John Wiley & Sons.
Irving, J.A., 2016. Towards an understanding of the biology and targeted treatment of paediatric relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. British journal of haematology, 172(5), pp.655-666.
Mullighan, C.G., Zhang, J., Kasper, L.H., Lerach, S., Payne-Turner, D., Phillips, L.A., Heatley, S.L., Holmfeldt, L., Collins-Underwood, J.R., Ma, J. and Buetow, K.H., 2011. CREBBP mutations in relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Nature, 471(7337), pp.235-239.
Mulroy, E., Joyce, E., Scott, J., Melling, J., Goggin, C., Mahon, N., O’Rourke, K. and Lynch, T., 2012. Long-term risk of leukaemia or cardiomyopathy after mitoxantrone therapy for multiple sclerosis. European neurology, 67(1), pp.45-47.
Quackenbush, J. and Sulston, J., 2011. The human genome: The book of essential knowledge. Imagine.
Smith, M.L. and McKerrell, T., 2013. Acute myeloid leukaemia. The Genetic Basis of Haematological Cancers, pp.133-202.
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