Leukemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. It is the most common cancer in children and adults.

In the structure of oncopathologies, cancer of the lymphatic and hematopoietic tissues occupies the 7th place. In the world, about 5-6 cases per 100 thousand of the population are detected annually and about 310,000 people die. In Kazakhstan, more than 9,000 patients are registered with oncological diseases of the hematopoietic and lymphatic tissue, and more than 1,500 new cases are registered annually.

Causes of the disease and risk factors:

Leukemia occurs when the normal functioning of the bone marrow is disrupted. Bone marrow is the soft inner part of the bone. It works like a factory for the production of blood cells: it produces all the blood cells. Their formation begins with the formation of hematopoietic cells (hematopoietic cells). If the bone marrow is functioning properly, these blood-forming cells become cells that eventually turn into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

The cause of the disease remains unknown to date. Due to the fact that the cause of leukemia is unclear, there are no specific methods of prevention.

However, there are increased risk factors in people of the following groups:

Personal medical history. The risk of acute leukemia is increased in people who have other cancers and who are taking certain anticancer drugs.

Hereditary factor. Having a family history of cancer in the 1st or 2nd line.

Viral diseases. People with very rare diseases or HTLV-1.

Age. Most often, the disease develops in childhood and after 40 years. The frequency of acute myeloid leukemia is the same in all age groups. Men and women get sick with the same frequency.

Leukemias are either acute or chronic. In acute cases, the symptoms develop rapidly: without treatment, the disease will progress rapidly. In a chronic course, the disease and symptoms develop slowly. Acute leukemia most often occurs in children.

Signs and symptoms of leukemia:

fever, chills;

frequent infections;

weakness;

increased fatigue;

easy bleeding and bruising;

pain in the bones and joints.

Diagnosis of leukemia:

medical examination and examination of the medical history;

blood tests;

puncture and biopsy of the bone marrow;

chest x-ray;

CT, MRI.

Treatment for leukemia:

Treatment depends on the type of leukemia and the risk group. The most common treatment is chemotherapy.

Other possible treatments:

targeted therapy;

immunotherapy;

hematopoietic cell transplant (also called bone marrow or stem cell transplant).

Prognosis (outcome) in the treatment of leukemia:

When discussing cancer survival statistics, doctors often use a number called 5-year survival, referring to the percentage of patients who live at least 5 years after they are diagnosed with cancer. In acute leukemia, children with no disease after five years are likely to be completely cured. This is explained by the fact that after so many years the return of this cancer is very rare. Survival rates are a conditional value. For information on survival in each case, it is best to contact your doctor.

Acute leukemias:

The overall 5-year survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children is approximately 90%.

The overall 5-year survival rate for children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is 65–75%. However, survival rates vary by AML subtype and other factors. For example, the cure rate for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML), one subtype of AML, is currently above 90%, but rates for some other subtypes of AML are lower.

Chronic leukemias:

For chronic leukemias, the 5-year survival rate is less useful because children can live with leukemia for a long time without actually being cured. In the past, 5-year survival rates for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) were 60–80%, but they are now much higher.

Doctor's recommendations

The main prevention of the disease is a healthy lifestyle and the rejection of bad habits, such as smoking, alcohol abuse. You should also avoid contact with cancer-causing chemicals whenever possible.

If you have any suspicions or want to be examined and find out about your state of health, you can contact our clinic by calling the Call Center 8(7172)702-911.