Blood Tests for Cancer

It is very common and takes the lives of people each year. Blood cancer starts from the bone marrow and weakens the immune system. It can be highly fatal if it is not diagnosed early.

Blood cancer can only be treated if it is diagnosed in the early stages. Therefore, contact your doctor if you observe any symptoms of blood cancer. 

There are different types of blood cancers that affect a person. 

Different blood tests for cancer are performed to diagnose the type of cancer the patient is suffering from. 

Blood Cancer

It is a group of various malignancies such as blood cancers, lymphatic system, and bone marrow. Also, blood cancer changes the way blood cells work thus, disrupting the function of the body. 

The production of blood takes place in the bone marrow, and blood cancer interferes with the production of blood. Blood tests for cancer can be conducted to diagnose the spread of cancer. 

Symptoms of Blood Cancer 

You should contact your health care facilitator if you notice the following symptoms: 

• Frequent bone fractures
• Pain in the lower abdomen 
• Frequent Joint Pain 
• Sudden Weight loss
• Sweating at night 
• Rashes on skin 
• Swollen neck 
• Frequent headaches
• Difficulty in urinating
• Nausea and vomiting
• Difficulty in urinating
• Weakness 
• Bleeding of the gums
• Occurrence of lymph nodes
• Frequent back pain
• Flu and Fever 

Blood Cancer Types

There are different types of blood cancer that a person can suffer from. However, the doctor should conduct blood tests for cancer to diagnose the type of cancer the person is suffering from.  

• Leukemia

People who suffer from Leukemia, their body, produces various white blood cells. This destroys the normal blood cells, and the person suffers from frequent infections. The different types of Leukemia are as follows:  

• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia 

In this type of blood cancer, the lymphoid blast cells are affected. As a result, too many lymphocytes cells are made, which destroys the immune system if not treated on time. 

• Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) 

Myeloid blood cells are affected by this type of blood cancer.

• Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL)

In this, the white blood cells are destroyed in the early stages of development. 

• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

In this type, the white blood cells in the bone marrow are unable to function properly. MRI Elizabeth NJ or open MRI is conducted to examine your overall health. 

• Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)

In this type of blood cancer, myeloid cells are affected. The abnormal cells grow slowly and result in affecting the immune system of the body.

• Lymphoma

It is a type of the lymphatic system, an essential part of the human body.  The lymphatic system includes the lymph nodes, spleen, and bone marrow. In Lymphoma, the abnormal white cells multiply and disrupt the function of the original white cells.  There are two types of Lymphoma.  

To examine the spread of cancer cells, we conduct an open MRI.

Hodgkin’s Lymphoma 

It is also known as Hodgkin’s disease. In this, the abnormal cells grow continuously. Moreover, in this type of cancer, the Reed-Sternberg cells exist in the lymph nodes, an essential part of the immune system. 

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 

This kind of cancer starts in the B-cells, which are a part of the lymphatic system. In this, white blood cells grow abnormally and even form malignant tumors in the body. It affects the lymph tissues and skin of the person. Diagnostic imaging NJ or NJ imaging is done to examine the spread of cancer in the body. 

• Myeloma 

Myeloma affects the plasma cells of the body. Your body can only be healthy if plasma cells work properly. Unfortunately, cancer cells take over the healthy plasma cells, and your immune system weakens.  

A plasma cell aims to fight infections and germs in the body. If they do not work well. Your body will be prone to infections more often. Moreover, as the ratio of the abnormal cell grows, your health deteriorates. 

Diagnosis 

Before the treatment, the health care facilitator will diagnose your condition. Make sure you tell everything about your medical history. Your doctor will prescribe certain blood tests for cancer to examine your condition. 

After the diagnosis, your doctor will tell you which treatment you should opt for. It all depends on the intensity of your cancer and which treatment can be beneficial for you. 

Before conducting any treatment, your X-ray, CT scan, pet scan, or a wide bore is the next step. Although diagnostic imaging services are offered at various places, do not hesitate to go for the tests. 

Treatment Options 

There are various treatments available to treat different types of blood cancers. Therefore, the doctor might not stick to one treatment only. It depends on the spread of the cancerous cell and how you respond to treatments. 

• Chemotherapy 

Chemotherapy is one of the most effective cancer treatments. In chemotherapy, chemicals kill the abnormal cells. There are various types of chemo treatments available depending on the diagnosis of the stage of cancer. They give chemotherapy in cycles so your body can recover and is good to go for the next dose. 

It is given directly into the vein, so the drug travels and kills the cells.  The treatment can last for several months unless the abnormal cells are fully destroyed. Unfortunately, stopping the growth of abnormal cells is difficult, and thus, the side effects of chemotherapy are intense. 

• Stem Cell Transplant

In this treatment, the stem cells are replaced in the body with new and healthy cells.  It is an effective treatment for blood cancer as it involves destroying the abnormal cells. Through this treatment, stem cells can produce healthy blood cells. 

In this treatment, a high dose of chemotherapy is given to destroy the cancerous cells. Later, a transplant is done to fill your bone marrow with cells.  The process is like chemotherapy or a blood transfusion. As in the transplant, the cells are given directly into your vein. 

• Immunotherapy 

Immunotherapy is the method of treating cancer in which the immune system attacks the cancer cells. There are several types of immunotherapies available depending on the condition of the person. 

Cancer cells weaken the immune system; thus, health care facilitators use the approach of immunotherapy—immune cells from the transplant donor attack the residual leukemia cells, which exist after the chemotherapy. However, side effects are also associated with immunotherapy, and your regular blood tests are conducted to check the nature of side effects. 

• Targeted Therapy for Cancer

In targeted therapy, certain drugs are used that can interact with the molecular targets, particularly protein. It is because cancerous cells tend to possess proteins and spread in the body.  However, this treatment is different from chemotherapy. 

The antibodies in this treatment target the cancer cells and attach them to them.  Moreover, they interfere with the ability of cancerous cells to grow or spread. It is less intense than chemotherapy. Even if your body cannot adjust to any treatments, the doctors might offer other therapies. 

•  Radiation Therapy 

Doctors use radiation therapy when high energy is needed to destroy the cancerous cells. The rays especially aim at the part of the body where cancer cells are present. However, it takes a few weeks until the treatment is complete.

Radiation therapy is also given before stem cell transplantation to relieve the discomfort. First, high-energy rays are used to treat the person. After the first session, the doctor waits until the body gains its strength back. 

Therefore, the doctor examines your body before using this treatment because of the intensity of the rays. Most of the time, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are done together to ensure the wellbeing of the person. 

Conclusion 

Blood cancer is one of the most intense types of cancer that takes the life of a person. Therefore, you need to go for general checkups and remember the symptoms. 

It causes a lot of problems for the patients when cancer doesn’t get treated immediately. It is better to tolerate the risks of the treatment before cancer consumes your life.