A Better Living Home Care Agency
(Sacramento)

9719 Lincoln Village, Suite 609
Sacramento, California 95827
(916) 361‑3000

A Better Living Home Care Agency
(Walnut Creek/Concord)

2280 Diamond Boulevard, Suite 580
Concord, California 94520
(925) 680‑0300

Leukemia Cancer

Leukemia is cancer of the body’s blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system. Many types of leukemia exits, some forms of leukemia are most common in children. Other forms of leukemia occur mostly in adults.

Leukemia usually starts in the white blood cells. Your white blood cells are potent infection fighters — they normally grow and divide in an orderly way, as your body needs them. But in people with leukemia, the bone marrow produces a large number of abnormal white blood cells, which don't function properly.

Symtoms of Leukemia

• Fever or chills
• Persistent fatigue, weakness
• Frequent infections
• Losing weight without trying
• Swollen lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen
• Easy bleeding or bruising
• Tiny red spots in your skin (petechiae)
• Excessive sweating, especially at night
• Bone pain or tenderness.

Leukemia Treatment

• Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is the major form of treatment for leukemia. This drug treatment uses chemicals to kill leukemia cells.
• Biological Therapy: Biological therapy works by helping your immune system recognize and attack leukemia cells.
• Targeted Therapy: Targeted therapy uses drugs that attack specific vulnerabilities within your cancer cells.
• Radiation Therapy: Radiation therapy uses X-rays or other high-energy beams to damage leukemia cells and stop their growth.
• Stem Cell Transplant: A stem cell transplant is a procedure to replace your diseased bone marrow with healthy bone marrow. Before a stem cell transplant, you receive high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy to destroy your diseased bone marrow.

What Causes Leukemia?

Experts don't know what causes leukemia. But some things are known to increase the risk of some kinds of leukemia. These things are called risk factors. You are more likely to get leukemia if you:

• Were exposed to large amounts of radiation.
• Were exposed to certain chemicals at work, such as benzene.
• Had some types of chemotherapy to treat another cancer.

Leukemia Diagnosis

• Leukemia is a very difficult condition to diagnose for a variety of reasons. Many of the symptoms of chronic leukemia are so slight that they go unnoticed for years, and sometimes even decades. Should a patient suffer any symptoms, they are easily confused with lesser conditions. The fever, nausea, sleeplessness, and loss of appetite of leukemia are easily attributable to a cold or the flu, and short of expensive and sometimes painful medical tests, leukemia frequently goes undiagnosed. This is due to the fact that the affected bone marrow may only produce a limited number of unhealthy white blood cells over a period of time, but the body is not affected by this small amount. Acute leukemia is much easier to diagnose, but it is also far more dangerous.
  
  
• A few tests will reveal if there is a chance that a patient might have leukemia. The first and simplest is called a total white blood cell count. Unhealthy bone marrow produces either too many or too few white blood cells, but other variables such as the patient's general health, history of infections, and some medications can affect the number of blood cells. If a doctor still suspects leukemia, a bone marrow biopsy will reveal the presence of unhealthy tissue, and further aid in diagnosis. A biopsy is a rather painful procedure, and doctors will only resort to it if they feel justified.
  
  
• After a bone marrow biopsy, doctors can try and determine the cause of irregular levels of blood cells. If caused by cancerous bone marrow, further investigation will reveal the type of leukemia so that doctors can provide the correct treatment. Should a patient suffer from acute leukemia, which most often afflicts young children and older adults, doctors need to take immediate action before the cancer overwhelms the delicate bodies of these fragile patients. A diagnosis of chronic leukemia is more difficult; often, doctors take a "wait and see" approach, for many common cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation have little effect on early stage chronic leukemia. In any case, a diagnosis of leukemia is emotionally devastating, and life will never be the same.

Benefits of Home Care

There is nothing like the comfort and security of home when you’re ill or recovering from an illness. Research shows that even for those living with a chronic illness like leukemia, living at home is often the best option for physical and mental well being. Home care for cancer patients helps keep families together in a more private setting while giving patients more independence.

Contact A Better Living Home Care for superior home care services!