Leukemia is a kind of cancer that is common nowadays. It does not select who it assaults: men, females, children, adults, Caucasian, African-American, Asian, Hispanic – they are all in danger. According to the latest survey conducted, 44,000 people will be diagnosed with leukemia by 2010. It is now 2011. However, with developments that they have had in the aspect of health & medicine, the result of leukemia is looking bright. There is now a significant increase in the survival rate – a small over 50 percent. That might not be a giant number for you, but compared to the 1970s when they only had a 14 percent chance of survival, 50 percent is like being disease-free. Won’t you agree?
Surviving leukemia would largely depend on the severity of the illness by the time it gets diagnosed. As you could deduce, an earlier diagnosis of leukemia would give a better prognosis as compared to a late detection. Knowing which signs to look out for would be a great help in getting the earliest treatment feasible. The following would be the most common signs of leukemia:
- Fever & recurrent infections. The reason behind this is that in leukemia, you do not have mature white blood cells to combat foreign bodies. You do not have a lovely defense method to protect you from invading viruses.
- Fatigue. Leukemia is a condition where there is a giant production of abnormal white blood cells. These cells would take up lots of space, thus impeding the production of other types of cells. Since the production of red blood cells is decreased in the method, oxygen delivery to your various systems would even be decreased. This is what is causing fatigue.
- Bleeding and/or simple bruising. Bleeding, when associated with cancer, is painless. The same goes with bruising. A traditional bruise would be tender when touched. Bruising, as related to leukemia, does not have any pain at all. Platelets, the ones responsible for clotting, are decreased in leukemia. This causes the bleeding & the bruising.
- Petechiae. They are little, rash-like spots found on the skin. Unlike rashes, though, petechiae are not itchy. This is caused by the rupture of capillaries & a decrease in platelet count.
- There’s lots of other signs of leukemia, but the aforementioned would be the most common of the lot. In the event you experience any of those mentioned above, consult together with your doctor immediately. In the event you get treatment early in the disease, there is a chance that the cancer cells might be eradicated & you would be of the few survivors who would live to tell your story about battling with death.
- Pain. All types of cancer have pain. In the case of leukemia, it is bone or joint pain. This ought to not be confused with signs of bone cancer, though. The pain in bone cancer is caused by the compression of nerves due to tumor growth. In leukemia, the pain is caused by the overcrowding of blood cells in the bone marrow.
