How to Treat Blood Cancer

Blood cancer has three major forms: leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Leukemia is characterized by the unrestrained proliferation of the blood cells, while lymphoma is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of the lymphocytes (a major constituent of the immune system) and multiple myeloma is a form of blood cancer which originates in the plasma cells present in the bone marrow. Unfortunately there is no complete cure for blood cancer, so the major aim of doctors is to control the proliferation of the malignant cells and thus control the pain and discomfort associated with the condition.

Tips

1. Watch for the symptoms of blood cancer in order to aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of the condition. Common symptoms include high fever and chills, frequent infections, swollen lymph nodes, tiny red spots on the skin, easy bruising and extreme tiredness.

2. Get a qualified doctor's opinion as to whether a bone marrow transplant is a viable option to treat blood cancer in your case. A bone marrow transplant involves the replacing your affected and abnormal stem cells with healthier ones taken from a donor. Blood stem cells are generally located in your bone marrow, so such a transplant often prevents the subsequent spreading and metastasis of the malignant cells.

3. Consider radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy. It involves the use of high powered beams like gamma rays and X rays to focus on the malignant cancer cells. Radiotherapy is typically administered in a hospital and may be used in combination with surgery and chemotherapy or may be administered alone.

4. Try chemotherapy. This involves the administration of anti-cancer medications like interleukin and pacitaxel through the veins in order to kill the cancerous cells.

5. Let your immune system treat blood cancer with the help of immunotherapy. Immunotherapy, also called biological therapy, works by bolstering your immune system with artificial forms of the normal components of the immune system. The American Cancer Society predicts that immunotherapy will spur future advances in the field of treating cancer.