Know More About Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a rare kind of cancer of the blood as well as the bone marrow. Bone marrow is a spongy tissue that is present inside the bones. It is responsible for the production of blood cells for the body. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia most commonly affects older adults. There are treatments to help control the disease. It spreads slowly in comparison to other diseases and leads to issues in bone marrow. The healthy cells are destroyed and overcrowded that leads to faster spread of the infection.
Causes
- The genes present in the cells of bone marrow undergo some malfunctioning that leads to the development of tumor cells. The origination of the process is not clear but it slowly advances into chronic myeloid leukemia. The unwanted proliferation of the cells leads to development of cancerous situations in the body.
- This disease occurs most often in older adults and white people as compared to other races.
- A family history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia or other blood and bone marrow cancers may increase your risk of developing the disease.
- Certain herbicides and insecticides, including an Agent Orange used during the Vietnam War, have been linked to an increased risk of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
- Sometimes, the monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis leads to an increase in the number of Bcells in the body. The increase in the number of cells in this type of leukemia can lead to development of the cancerous condition.
Complications of the condition
The kind of complications that the cancerous situation can lead to are:
Frequent infections
The person may experience frequent exposure to the infections as the body becomes vulnerable to them. The blood might not be equipped with enough immune cells and can lead to several issues. For this, regular immunoglobulin infusions can be suggested.
Aggressive forms of cancer
Often, a cancerous situation can lead to the development or risk of getting hit with another type of cancer.
Lowered immunity levels
The body of the patient might develop low immunity that reduces the disease-fighting capability of the body.
Signs and Symptoms
Pain in the upper left portion of the abdomen, which may be caused by an enlarged spleen
- Night sweats
- Weight loss that remains unexplained
- Enlarged, but painless, lymph nodes
- Tiredness
- Fever
- Fatigue
Diagnosis
The diagnosis techniques of the situation are done through various methods:
Blood tests
The blood tests are an important part of the getting to know about any kind of infection or abnormalities. Often, the increased white blood cells are detected during the blood tests. These tests are helpful in determining the extent to which the body organs are functioning. The diagnosis of the disease becomes easy after these tests.
Imaging Techniques
To see if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body or the effect of tumors on the target area, the doctor can ask for Xrays, computerized tomography (CT scan) of the abdomen or the chest, and many others as well. These tests are performed to look for abnormalities if any.
Biopsy
It is a common procedure performed nowadays that involves removing a small amount of tissue of the suspected area as a sample to be tested and analyzed in the laboratory. The doctor can insert a needle through the skin to take a sample or to remove the fluud accumulated.
The doctor can perform it while doing bone marrow biopsy or bone marrow aspiration.
Looking for genetic changes in the lymphocytes
Tests like polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization helps in knowing about the presence of the tumor cells.
Side effects of such procedures
- Radiation therapy can cause problems like soreness, dry mouth, shortness of breath, and throid problems too. Apart from this, the condition of underactive throidism can also develop, known as hypothyroidism. In case, the radiations that are directed towards chest can cause heart and lung problems as well.
- Immunotherapy may also lead to issues like chills, fever, dizziness, weakness, headache, fatigue, pain in joints or muscles, bleeding, swelling of affected area, and several others.
- Targeted drug therapy can lead to issues like mouth sores, changes in nails, increased blood pressure, problems in wound healing and blood clotting, skin problems like dry skin, rashes, and fatigue.
- Chemotherapy can lead to issues like nausea, vomiting, and loss of hairs as well. It can cause decrease red blood cell count too. In the case of long term complications, thus treatment may lead to health problems like lung damage, heart disease, occurrence of other types of cancer, or fertility problems.
- Bone marrow transplant can pose the risk of developing more vulnerability to infections, easy bruising and bleeding, reduced red blood cell count, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, etc.
Treatments
Targeted Drug Therapy
The primary focus of the doctors is to eliminate as much cancer cells as possible. The target drug therapy focuses on the specific abnormalities or weaknesses of the cancer cells and targets them. The targeted drug therapy is usually the primary treatment given to the patients of leukemia.
Bone marrow transplant
This is also termed as stem cell transplant and is used to provide a definitive cure to the disease. In this case, the doctor infuses the healthy cells in the bone marrow and eliminates the cancer cells using various treatments like chemotherapy. This treatment is applied towards the end because it holds several risks and involves a high rate of complications as well. The high doses of chemotherapy are used to attack the cancer cells present in the bone marrow.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a method of treatment that uses certain drugs to kill the cancer cells. These drugs or medications can be taken through the vein in the arm or through a pill as well. This treatment is either combined with the other treatments like surgery or can also be administered individually. It can also be combined with targeted drug therapy as well.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy focuses on the immune system of the body to help the immune cells to fight the cancer cells. The tumor cells produce certain proteins that let them hide them from the immune cells. Immunotherapy interferes with this process of hiding from the normal cells. It can be considered as a suitable option if the body doesn’t respond to other treatments.
Why rely on Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is a branch of medial sciences that deals with natural ways of healing. It uses various therapies, oils, massages, dietary and lifestyle changes that can lead to boosting the immunity of human body and builds its resistance to the diseases and infections. The Ayurvedic treatments also reduce the inflammation as well as oxidative damage.
The natural herbs and their extracts used boost the immune system of the body and leas to development of overall good health. It helps the patient through using various therapies like Panchakarma. Ayurveda believes that the natural cycle of the body is important to be maintained and any kind of imbalance in this leads to development of the infections and diseases.
The anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory qualities of the herbs help in dealing with the issue properly leading to improved efficacy. The bioactive molecules that prevent infection are used in the medications to lower the pain and discomfort. The herbal and pure products help in fighting the toxins present in the body and lead to better functioning of the body.
The professionals working for years in this field are aware of what the patients need and which treatment will be effective at what stage of complexity. There are various methods through which the Ayurvedacharayas will treat the disease and help you to get a stronger immunity and body.