Chronic leukemia

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of blood cells, usually white blood cells. Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases. In turn, it is part of the even broader group of diseases called hematological neoplasms.

Chronic leukemia,is a cancer of the white blood cells. It is a form of leukemia characterized by the increased and unregulated growth of predominantly myeloid cells in the bone marrow and the accumulation of these cells in the blood. CML is a clonal bone marrow stem cell disorder in which proliferation of mature granulocytes and their precursors is the main finding

Symptoms:

The first signs and symptoms of leukemia are nonspecific. Early signs also may occur with other types of cancer or with other medical conditions. Although leukemia signs and symptoms vary depending on the type of disease, there are some general features.Broad symptoms of leukemia include the following:

· Fatigue

· Malaise

· Abnormal bleeding

· Excessive bruising

· Weakness

· Reduced exercise tolerance

· Weight loss

· Bone or joint pain

· Infection and fever

· Abdominal pain

· Enlarged spleen, lymph nodes, and liver.

Causes

Chronic leukemia most often occurs in middle-aged adults and in children.It is usually associated with a chromosome abnormality called the Philadelphia chromosome.Radiation increases the risk of developing chronic leukemia.

Leukemia, like other cancers, results from somatic mutations in the DNA. Certain mutations produce leukemia by activating oncogenes or deactivating tumor suppressor genes, and thereby disrupting the regulation of cell death, differentiation or division. These mutations may occur spontaneously or as a result of exposure to radiation or carcinogenic substances, and are likely to be influenced by genetic factors.

Medications

· Ultrasound: A thin ultrasound probe is inserted into the rectum. The ultrasound can show if nearby organs and tissues have been invaded by cancer.

· Bone Scan: Prostate cancer often spreads to bones if not detected early. For this reason, this test can be done to provide a detailed picture of the body’s bones.

· CT scan or MRI – These two tests can be used to provide a detailed look at the organs and tissues in the abdomen and pelvis. Only large, bulky areas of cancer outside of the prostate can be seen with these, so they need to be combined with other tests to be most useful.

Treatments

· Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is a type of local therapy. It affects cells only in the treated area. Radiation therapy is used alone for small tumors or for patients who cannot have surgery. It may be used before surgery to kill cancer cells and shrink the tumor. It also may be used after surgery to destroy cancer cells that may remain in the area.

· Surgery

Physicians at Mayo Clinic typically recommend that lip sarcomas be surgically removed whenever possible. Surgeons try to remove the primary cancer completely while minimizing the impact on the function and appearance of the affected part of the body. Patients who undergo surgery receive a thorough evaluation by an anesthesiologist prior to surgery.

· Computed tomography (CT) is a medical imaging method employing tomography created by computer processing. Digital geometry processing is used to generate a three-dimensional image of the inside of an object from a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images taken around a single axis of rotation.