Leukemia Cancer Overview
Leukaemia is the cancer of blood cells. It originates in the soft tissue of the bone marrow of the bones. Bone marrow is the place where the formation of blood cells takes place. The different blood cells involve:
- White blood cells help the body to fight infections.
- Red blood cells help in carrying oxygen to several parts of the body.
- Platelets help in the blood clotting process in the body.
Leukaemia is of several types and is grouped mainly by how fast it worsens or which particular white blood cells it targets. Every type of leukaemia is effectively treated in Indian hospitals with the help of latest technology and experienced team of doctors and staff.
Leukemia the most common type of blood cancer and is concerned with the rapid multiplication of abnormal white blood cells in the body. There are four common types of leukemia and they are,
- Acute Lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
- Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
- Hairy Cell Leukemia (HCL)
A. Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
There are four different types of lymphocytes or white blood cells in Humans, ALL is a common type of cancer in the B or T lymphocytes. Though these are immature white cells, they are major components of the lymphoid tissue that makes up the immune system. ALL commonly affects the bone marrow of bones and can also target the liver, spleen and distant lymph nodes. As B and T cells play an important role in the immune system, the affected person can suffer repeated infections. ALL can occur at any age but is found frequently in people under the age of 15 and over the age of 45.
B.Acute Myeloid Leukemia:
AML also is known as acute myelogenous leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood. It is a common type of cancer in adults and can target any component of the blood. There are also many subtypes of AML such as Myeloblastic, Promyelocytic, Myelomonocytic, Monocytic, erythroleukemia, megakaryocytic, etc.
The stem cells in the bone marrow develop into either Lymphoid cells, that later develop into white blood cells and Myeloid cells that later develop into red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets. In AML, the myeloid cells develop into myeloblasts of abnormal morphology, or into abnormal platelets or red blood cells. The normal function of the blood cells is thus tampered affecting all normal functions of the blood.
C.Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia:
About one-third of Leukemia diagnosis is CLL and this generally affects older adults. The disease is slow-growing and generally lies latent in the bone marrow before extending into the blood. It generally affects the lymphocytes or the white blood cells and can affect the lymph nodes, the liver and the spleen as well. When too many abnormal WBCs grow in the blood, outnumbering the normal blood cells, the disease fighting capability of the body is seriously compromised.
D. Chronic Myeloid Leukemia:
CML affects the blood and bone marrow. This cancer starts with the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow, and over time spreads to the blood. This chronic form of blood cancer spreads and grows slowly, however it can start to multiply rapidly and affect almost any organ of the body. CML is generally associated with an abnormal chromosome known as the Philadelphia Chromosome or the Ph chromosome. It was found in the 1960s that this genetic mutation transforms myeloid cells into immature cancer cells.
E. Hairy cell Leukemia:
The HCL is a rare type of Leukemia and grows slowly in the blood. The bone marrow makes too many B cells and fewer WBCs, RBCs, and platelets. People with the diagnosis of HCL live for many years before the symptoms appear.
Treatment for leukaemia is not the same for all and it is a little complex. Leukaemia treatment might vary with the type of leukaemia a patient gets diagnosed with.
Besides the type of leukaemia, treatment of leukaemia also depends upon certain features like the extent to which the disease has reached and if leukaemia treatment was done prior or not.
Further, the age of the patient, overall health and symptoms are also accountable prior to starting a leukaemia treatment.
Leukaemia treatment can be done by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and stem cell transplant or bone marrow transplant. A combination of any of the specified therapies might be involved in treating leukaemia.
Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in India is available at very affordable prices which is an effective way for leukaemia treatment. Several preferred centres in India involve donor peripheral blood cells for BMT procedure. Another method is Graft-versus-Leukemia effect, in which new bone marrow cells recognize cancerous leukaemia cells and kill them.
Choosing India for leukaemia treatment is the best as per current case scenarios. Since Indian hospitals are equipped in every manner from technology to experienced doctors for treating every leukaemia case. Several hospitals are available in different cities with world class facilities at every economic treatment cost in comparison to the one offered in developed countries like USA, UK, Canada.
Although several types are research is ongoing to find an alternative leukaemia treatment without undergoing transplant procedure. But until there comes out approved effective way stem cell transplants are mandatory in many cases to save lives.
Many patients from all over the world are travelling to India for medical treatments and are satisfied with the equipped hospitals as well as effective treatments.
Leukaemia treatment in India itself might offer a different price as per facilities and treatment line opted. But each one of the hospitals offers a good success rate with superior treatment methods and procedures.
Best leukaemia treatment hospitals in India understands the importance of the effectiveness of treatment as well as care of the patient. So no compromise is done in any way and hence successful treatment is accomplished.
Treatment advancements with every passing year are making leukaemia treatment more effective and successful. It is not just the technology which matters but also experience of the Indian doctors' posses. Infect, many of the doctors have their expertise in leukaemia treatment from foreign universities.
In India success rate is equally good as it might be in any of the world-class foreign hospitals. But the pricing offered even to patients who are from outside India are very economic it might be because of some government taxes levied on healthcare which contributes to this pricing difference.
But besides the pricing, nothing is compromised in Indian hospitals from care to success rate of the treatment in any way. Also, complete remission with a rare reoccurrence of leukaemia can be achieved post successful treatment in most of the cases. The patient survival chances also increase with leukaemia treatment than without it.