If you have leukemia, the first step is to see a doctor for diagnosis and to develop a personalized treatment plan, which often involves chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or stem cell transplants, alongside supportive care and lifestyle adjustments like healthy eating and light exercise, to manage symptoms and fight the cancer.
In addition, below are some more suggestions for coping with your leukemia diagnosis.
While leukemia is currently not curable, it is possible to treat the cancer to help improve outlook. For children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), the 5-year survival rate is now around 90%, according to the American Cancer Society .
Stages of Chronic Leukemia
Stage 1 – A patient has high levels of white blood cells and enlarged lymph nodes. Stage 2 – A patient has high levels of white blood cells and is anemic. He or she may also have enlarged lymph nodes. Stage 3 – A patient has high levels of white blood cells and is anemic.
Early signs of leukemia often mimic the flu and include persistent fatigue, fever, night sweats, frequent infections, and unexplained weight loss, due to the body's inability to produce healthy blood cells. Other key indicators are easy bruising or bleeding (like nosebleeds, bleeding gums, or tiny red spots on skin), bone/joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and sometimes pale skin or shortness of breath, all stemming from low red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets.
When detected and treated early, acute leukemia is curable in many cases. "Even when there are a lot of factors, such as advanced age and other medical conditions, we estimate that half of acute leukemia cases can be cured, which is high for such an aggressive cancer," says Dr. Shah.
Leukemia is caused by DNA mutations in blood cells, leading to uncontrolled growth, but the exact trigger for these mutations is often unknown, likely a mix of genetic and environmental factors like radiation, benzene exposure, certain viruses, and inherited conditions (e.g., Down Syndrome). These genetic changes tell cells to keep multiplying instead of dying, crowding out healthy cells in the bone marrow.
Treatment
Home care may be an alternative option to inpatient treatment for some people with leukemia. Its suitability will depend on the type of leukemia that the individual has and their general health. Leukemia is an umbrella term for blood cancers that usually originate in the bone marrow and cause abnormal blood cells.
Protecting your skin from the sun is always important – but if you're having treatment for blood cancer, or you've finished treatment in the last few years, it's a must. Treatments like chemotherapy, targeted therapies and radiotherapy can make your skin more sensitive to damage from the sun.
Most people with leukemia are over 60. Although you can develop it at any time of life, most types are rarely diagnosed in people under 40.
So, is leukemia a hereditary disease? In most cases, the answer is no. Leukemia is largely caused by genetic mutations acquired during a person's lifetime. However, specific gene mutations can increase the likelihood of developing leukemia within families.
Some people never need treatment. But acute leukemias like ALL, AML, and APL tend to progress faster. Doctors often recommend starting chemo immediately to stop cancer cells from multiplying and spreading.
Close contact or things like sex, kissing, touching, sharing meals, or breathing the same air cannot spread cancer. Cancer cells from someone with cancer are not able to live in the body of another healthy person. The immune system finds and destroys foreign cells, including cancer cells from another person.
Acute leukemia symptoms
This means you have a very high level of white blood cells in your blood. This will make you suddenly feel very unwell and is an emergency. Symptoms may include breathing problems and neurological symptoms like changes to your vision, confusion, vomiting, loss of muscle control or seizures.
In addition to undercooked meat, these foods include: Unpasteurized beverages, such as unpasteurized juice or raw milk. Soft mold-ripened and blue-veined cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola and blue or other soft, unpasteurized cheeses. Raw sprouts, such as alfalfa sprouts.
Childhood leukemia was fatal for the vast majority of children who developed it in the past. Before the 1970s, fewer than 10% of children diagnosed with the disease survived five years after diagnosis. But since then, this outlook has improved dramatically. In North America and Europe, around 85% now survive that long.
Symptoms of leukemia
Who is most at risk?
Clinical and epidemiological studies have shown that stress-related biobehavioral factors are associated with accelerated progression of several types of cancer, including solid epithelial tumors and hematopoietic tumors such as leukemia (Antoni et al., 2006; Chida et al., 2008).
Leukemia Treatment
Leukemia starts in the soft, inner part of the bones (bone marrow), but often moves quickly into the blood. It can then spread to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, central nervous system, and other organs.
For some, living 20 years with leukemia is a real possibility. This leukemia survival rate is more likely for those diagnosed young or with less aggressive types like chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The 5-year survival rate for all types in the United States is 67%. This shows a hopeful outlook for many patients.
Bone marrow biopsy.
To confirm a leukemia diagnosis, your doctor will collect a sample (biopsy) of bone, bone marrow and blood that will then be tested in the lab for the presence of leukemia and to determine what type.