Health Tips

Dear readers, it is great to see you again on this lovely Sunday!

This is the third article from the Blood Cancer Awareness Month Series. In this article, we will be talking about one of the top 10 most common cancer in Malaysia -- Leukaemia

ICYMI: Go check out our articles regarding the overview of blood cancer & lymphoma if you haven’t already!

What is Leukaemia?

Leukaemia is a type of blood cancer where a large number of abnormal white blood cells are produced by the bone marrow. These abnormal white blood cells will not fight infection as they should and overwhelms the bone marrow, causing red blood cell and platelet production to decrease. ^1,2,3 Although there is no cure for leukaemia, the survival rate has been improving. A data from 2011 - 2017 show that the five-year survival rate for leukaemia was found to be 65%. ⁴ The cause of leukaemia is still unknown, but several factors that may put you at risk, such as smoking, exposure to high doses of radiation, family history of leukaemia, chemotherapy and Down syndrome. ³ Leukaemia can be classified based on the speed of disease progression or the type of cells involved.

Classification: Speed of disease progression ¹

Classification: Types of cells involved ¹

Types of leukaemia ¹

There are a total of 4 types of leukaemia, namely:

1. Acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL) - Most common acute childhood leukaemia 

2. Acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) - Common acute leukaemia in adults

3. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) - Common in older adults & makes up one-third of the leukaemia cases

4. Chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) - Chronic leukaemia that mainly affects adults

Photo source: WebMD | Cancer Center - Common Types of Leukaemia

Symptoms of leukaemia ⁶

Although leukaemia is not diagnosed based on symptoms alone, being aware of the symptoms may help in the early detection of leukaemia. Some symptoms of leukaemia include:

Photo source: Verywellhealth

• Fatigue

• Enlarged lymph nodes

• Night sweats

• Unexplained fever

• Headache

• Bone pain

• Frequent and severe infection

• Unexpected weight loss

• Easy bruising/ excess bleeding

Treatment options ⁵

There are several factors to consider when treating leukaemia. The doctor will determine your treatment options depending on the age, overall health, types of leukaemia and whether cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Some of the treatment options include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy and bone marrow transplant.

 PS: We still have one more article left for this series! Don’t forget to read it next week!

A word from DOC2US

If you have any questions related to leukaemia, you can consult our professional doctors and healthcare professionals on DOC2US. DOC2US is a mobile application that allows you to talk to a doctor or any healthcare professionals via text chat at any time and from anywhere. For better communication, you can even send our online doctor images or voice messages related to your medical inquiry.

Download DOC2US app on Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Huawei App Gallery; or use our webchat at https://web.doc2us.com/

Note: DOC2US is not for medical emergencies. In the event of urgent medical conditions, please call 999.

Disclaimer: As a service to our users and general public, DOC2US provides health education contents. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

References:

1. Leukemia - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

2. Leukemia - Hematology.org

3. Blood Cancers: Types, Diagnosis, Prognosis (verywellhealth.com)

4. Leukemia -- Cancer Stat Facts 

5. Leukemia - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic

6. Symptoms of leukemia (verywellhealth.com) 

Written By

Ms. Wai Yian

Reviewed By

Doc2us Medical Board