Some symptoms, like night sweats, fever, fatigue and achiness, resemble flu-like symptoms. Unlike symptoms of the flu, which generally subside as you get better, leukemia symptoms generally last longer than two weeks, and may include sudden weight loss, bone and joint pain and easy bleeding or bruising.
So while you may be able to see if you have genetic markers for future cancer development, there's currently no home test available that can tell you whether you have leukemia currently. Possible tests available for home use can give you an idea of your overall health and risk factors, but they can't diagnose leukemia.
Acute leukemia may cause signs and symptoms that are similar to the flu. They come on suddenly within days or weeks. Chronic leukemia often causes only a few symptoms or none at all. Signs and symptoms usually develop gradually.
In CLL, the leukemia cells grow out of control and crowd out normal blood cells. These cells often build up slowly over time. Many people don't have any symptoms for at least a few years. In time, the cells can spread to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen.
Leukemia is commonly misdiagnosed as the following conditions: Influenza. Fever. Pathological fracture.
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.
Age-specific incidence rates fall gradually from age 0-4 and remain stable throughout childhood and early adulthood, rates rise sharply from around age 55-59. The highest rates are in in the 85 to 89 age group for females and males. Incidence rates are significantly lower in females than males in most age groups.
Bone pain can occur in leukemia patients when the bone marrow expands from the accumulation of abnormal white blood cells and may manifest as a sharp pain or a dull pain, depending on the location. The long bones of the legs and arms are the most common location to experience this pain.
They occur in unusual places – In cases of leukaemia, quite often bruises will appear in places that you wouldn't normally expect, especially; the back, legs, and hands.
For instance, leukemia, a cancer that affects the body's blood-forming tissues, can sometimes be detected in a routine blood test. Specifically, the CBC test measures the levels of the various types of blood cells circulating in the bloodstream, including red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
Tiny spots called petechiae
One symptom that some people with leukemia might notice is tiny red spots on their skin. These pinpoints of blood are called petechiae. On fair and light skin tones, these may appear as red dots. On darker skin tones, they may be darker than the surrounding skin and less noticeable.
Acute leukemia symptoms can often appear suddenly
With acute leukemia, symptoms tend to develop very quickly. You may suddenly spike a fever that won't go away, develop an infection for no apparent reason, or start bleeding spontaneously from your nose or gums and not be able to stop it.
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.
Certain genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome, are associated with an increased risk of leukemia. Exposure to certain chemicals. Exposure to certain chemicals, such as benzene — which is found in gasoline and is used by the chemical industry — is linked to an increased risk of some kinds of leukemia. Smoking.
Age – Generally speaking, individuals over the age of 65 are more at risk for leukemia. Demographics – While anyone can conceivably develop leukemia, white males are statistically most susceptible. Radiation exposure – Exposure to radiation from an atomic bomb increases the likelihood that leukemia cells will form.
Who gets leukemia? Although it is often thought of as a children's disease, most cases of leukemia occur in older adults. More than half of all leukemia cases occur in people over the age of 65.
During the progression of leukemia, white blood cells (neoplastic leukocytes) found in bone marrow may begin to filter into the layers of the skin, resulting in skin lesions. “It looks like red-brown to purple firm bumps or nodules and represents the leukemia cells depositing in the skin,” Forrestel says.
If caught early, leukemia can be cured by undergoing several cancer treatments.
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) used to be known as “pre-leukemia,” or sometimes “smoldering leukemia.” MDS is a group of blood disorders that can cause you to have low levels of: red blood cells. white blood cells. platelets.
You're Often Cold, Pale, and Short of Breath
Having low red blood cells from leukemia counts results in a condition called anemia, per the ACS. This can cause a person's skin to look paler than usual, shortness of breath, and feeling cold, which are leukemia symptoms in adults and kids.
Leukemia can produce a variety of symptoms, although most are not often apparent in the earliest stages of the malignancy. The most common symptoms of leukemia—fatigue, pale skin, weight loss and night sweats—are often attributed to other less serious conditions, such as the flu.
Changes to the way you look
Some of the changes blood cancer treatment can cause to the way your body looks include: Hair loss, affecting the scalp and body hair, including eyelashes and eyebrows too. Skin changes such as rashes, dry skin, redness, and spots. Some people experience changes to their skin colour.