blood cancer

Cancer is a dangerous disease which proves to be fatal in many cases. There are many types of cancers depending on what organ the cancer cells start showing up.

One such deadly cancer is the blood cancer. In blood cancer, the cancer cells damage the circulatory system of the body. It affects blood production, blood circulation and blood purification of the body.

Blood Cancer is of three types. They are:

  1. Leukemia : It is a rapid production of abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow that crowd out healthy blood cells and lose the ability to fight against infections.
  2. Lymphoma : It is a type of cancer that starts in cells called lymphocytes affecting the entire lymphatic system. Abnormal lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) become lymphoma cells and lose their ability to fight against infections.
  3. Myeloma : This type of cancer affects plasma cells in the bone marrow

Symptoms of Blood Cancer:

The signs and symptoms of blood cancer are not yet clear and often do not get detected in early stages. However, there are some common known symptoms of blood cancer that can be an alert to go for a diagnostic test.

Fever – persistent/high in characteristics. Not always present
Recurrent or prolonged infections
Headaches followed by vomiting and/or seizures
Extreme fatigue, weakness and in rare cases, slurring speech
Presence of tiny red spots on the skin
Unexplained weight loss
Nosebleeds

 

Causes of Blood cancer:

There are various causes of blood cancer. Some of them are:

  • A weakened immune system
  • High doses of radiation
  • Contact with a harmful chemical called Benzene, used in petrol and the solvent is used in the rubber and plastic industry.
  • Genetic disorders; like – Fanconi anaemia, Schwachman- diamond syndrome and down syndrome
  • Carcinogenic chemicals and exposure to radiation.
  • Smoking
  • HIV Infection
  • Increase in age

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