Well, what has been a stout situation for this world for years has now been conquered with the advancement in science, and here we talk about blood cancer. It is a common belief that blood cancer is not curable, but with the advancements in the treatments this notion has changed big time.
Blood cancer is a set of malignancies that disturb the patient's health in enormous ways, what it means is that a number of abnormal blood cells show an increased growth because of which the normal functioning of blood cells gets hindered.
There are 3 types of blood cancers.
1. Leukemia - It is a type of blood cancer originating in the blood and the bone marrow. It is a situation which arises when abnormal white blood cells show an increased growth which affects the flow of blood and causes hindrance in the normal functioning of the bone marrow which essentially is to make red blood cells and platelets.
2. Lymphoma - The lymphatic system is the body's disease-fighting network. It includes the lymph nodes, spleen, thymus gland and bone marrow.
The 2 types of Lymphoma are :
Hodgkin's Lymphoma - is a blood cancer that develops in the lymphatic system from cells called lymphocytes, a type of white blood cells. Hodgkin's Lymphoma is characterized by the presence of an abnormal lymphocyte called the Reed-Sternberg cell.
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma –It typically develops from B and T lymphocytes (cells) in the lymph nodes or tissues throughout the body.
3. Multiple Myeloma - It is a type of cancer that begins in the blood plasma cells, a type of white blood cell produced in the bone marrow.
Now, having been discussed the types of blood cancers, it is inevitable to consider the available treatments, which can be a cure for this disease.
1. Stem cell transplantation - The intent to restore a healthy bone marrow in the patient while performing this blood cancer treatment is to restore a healthy bone marrow. The essential function of stem cells is to stimulate bone marrow growth and strengthen the immune system. But the prerequisite for this treatment is that the patient goes through an intensive regimen which involves chemotherapy and radiation, which is intended to destroy as many leukaemia cells as possible. Once this process is complete, the patient is ready for blood transfusion.
It can be performed in 2 ways:
Autologous transplant - In this type of treatment, stem cells are collected from the patient's blood which is harvested, frozen and stored until needed.
Allogeneic transplant - In this type of treatment, stem cells are collected from a matching blood group donor and to know if the patient will match the stem cells with the donor, the patient needs to go through human leukocyte antigens(HLA) test.
2. Chemotherapy - It is a medication-directed treatment that focuses on different medication types because different medicines treat differently and tend to make the leukaemia cells more vulnerable to the treatment.
It is typically given orally to many patients by using pills or intravenously (directly injecting into the veins). As may be required by the different patients, it can be given intrathecally, which is directly inserted in the cerebrospinal fluid, which surrounds the brain and spinal cord. This is specifically given to patients with cancer spread near those regions.
3. Radiation - It is a type of treatment which is essentially given to provide relief to the patients in pain. It is also performed before any treatment to shrink the size of the tumour.
Having discussed everything, you must know who would be the best doctor for cancer or cancer specialist; there is one name which echoes down the road, Dr Manish Singhal. He is one of the best oncologists in Delhi, with an experience of over a decade. With Dr Manish Singhal by your back, this fight will be a daring one.