Posts tagged "Leukemia"

Drug Shows Promise against Hard-to-Treat Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Navitoclax, an experimental drug that inhibits a group of proteins that promote cell survival, has shown encouraging results in a phase I trial in patients with difficult-to-treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The drug targets several related proteins in the BCL2 family, which are present in many types of tumor cells and which block the natural tendency of abnormal cells to undergo programmed cell death, or apoptosis.
NCI Cancer Bulletin

Wart Treatment Compound May Treat Leukemia Effectively

Researchers have developed a new potential leukemia therapy that specifically targets cancerous cells, without attacking healthy cells. At present the majority of chemotherapy treatments attack both cancer cells and healthy cells, causing considerable adverse effects, such as depression, anxiety, nausea, hair loss and fatigue…
Cancer / Oncology News From Medical News Today

Leukemia Drug Sprycel (Dasatinib) Has Risk Of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Warns FDA

Sprycel (dasatinib), a leukemia medication raises the risk of developing pulmonary arterial hypertension, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today in a Drug Safety Communication. The FDA says doctors should check patients for signs and symptoms of underlying cardiopulmonary disease before considering prescribing Sprycel – they should also evaluate patients during treatment. Pulmonary arterial hypertension, also known as pulmonary hypertension or PAH is a kind of high blood pressure that only affects the arteries in the lung and the right side of the patient’s heart…
Health News from Medical News Today

Modified Ecstasy May Effectively Treat Leukemia, Lymphoma And Myeloma

A modified form of Ecstasy (MDMA) may have enormous potential in the treatment of myeloma, lymphoma and leukemia, scientists from the University of Birmingham, England, wrote in the journal Investigational New Drugs. The modified drug is 100 times more powerful as a cancer-busting compound than Ecstacy, which is already known to be effective against over half of white blood cell cancers…
Cancer / Oncology News From Medical News Today

Gene therapy shown to destroy leukemia tumors – Reuters

AFP

Gene therapy shown to destroy leukemia tumors Reuters LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Scientists for the first time have used gene therapy to successfully destroy cancer tumors in patients with advanced disease — a goal that has taken 20 years to achieve. Researchers at the University of … 'Serial Killer' Immune Cells Put Cancer in RemissionScience AAAS New leukemia treatment exceeds 'wildest expectations'msnbc.com 'Breakthrough' method rids patients of advanced cancerhealthzone.ca Scientist -AFP -CTV.ca all 23 news articles »

cancer – Google News

Common Gene Mutation Found in Hairy Cell Leukemia

A gene mutation that occurs in melanoma and other cancers has now been detected in hairy cell leukemia (HCL), a rare cancer of the blood. The mutation, called V600E, occurs in the BRAF gene and appears to contribute to the disease, researchers reported in the June 16 New England Journal of Medicine.
NCI Cancer Bulletin

High-Dose Methotrexate Extends Event-Free Survival for Children with Leukemia

Children’s Oncology Group researchers have shown in a phase III clinical trial that radically increasing the dose of methotrexate used to treat patients with high-risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-cell ALL) significantly improves 5-year event-free survival (that is, survival without any serious health events) when compared with the current standard of care. The trial results were presented last week at the ASCO annual meeting.
NCI Cancer Bulletin

Blinatumomab Achieved 75% Complete Remission In Acute Relapsing Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients

75% of acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients who had relapsed after standard therapy achieved complete remission with blinatumomab, a medication designed to harness T cells that destroy cancer cells. Blinatumomab makers, Micromet says the drug is “the most advanced of a new class of agents called BiTE® antibodies…
Cancer / Oncology News From Medical News Today

General Aspects of Leukemia

by OGUN

General Aspects of Leukemia

Many people suffer from leukemia these days. A large number of cases of cancer are identified to be leukemia. Leukemia is a sort of cancer of the blood and marrow. The disease is characterized through the overproducing of immature blood cells (stem cells) that aren’t able to fully develop and to carry out the activities of normal blood cells.

According to their functions and structure, there are three different types of cells within the normal blood: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Through the process of hematopoiesis, these three types of blood cells are developed from a distinctive type of blood cell called stem cell. Stem cells divide and go through several stages of development to finally form a mature blood cell of a particular type, with a certain, distinctive function in the body. The process through which a stem cell morphs into a mature blood cell takes place within the bone marrow.

According to the speed of development and the persistence of the disorder, there are two types of leukemia: acute leukemia and chronic leukemia. Acute leukemia is known to develop very rapidly, while chronic leukemia is developed slowly. According to the types of blood cells affected by the disease, leukemia can either be lymphocytic or myelogenous.

Lymphocytic and myelogenous types of leukemia are developed from different types of cells: the lymphocytic type of leukemia develops from cells called lymphoblasts or lymphocytes in the spongious tissue of the bones, while the myelogenous type of leukemia (sometimes refered to as myeloid and myelocytic leukemia) develops from myeloid cells.

In the case of acute forms of leukemia, the abnormal cells come from early, immature cells. Such forms of the disorder have a very fast rate of development, due to the fact that normal stem cells tend to multiply frequently. Leukemia cells usually don’t divide faster and more frequently than normal stem cells, they simply don’t stop their process of division when they should. Sometimes the numbers of white blood cells are very high, while in other cases they can be normal or low.

Chronic leukemia, apart from its slow development, is different from acute leukemia by the level of maturation that the diseased cells are able to reach. Stem cells affected by chronic leukemia reach a higher level of maturation but they present abnormalities and they can’t act as healthy white blood cells do. Unlike acute leukemia, in the chronic form of the disease the unhealthy cells have much longer periods of life and they tend to accumulate in different parts of the body.

Leukemia affects people of all age groups. While children usually respond better to the treatment for leukemia and sometimes deal well with the disease, adults difficultly cope with this form of cancer.

Regardless of age and sex, many people are diagnosed with forms of leukemia. Children tend to respond better to some types of leukemia, while adults difficultly cope with the disease. The cases of acute leukemia exceed those of chronic leukemia by approximately 10 percent. Older adults seem to be affected the most by acute leukemia. Around two thirds of acute leukemia cases seem to occur after the age of 60.

Lymphoblaster, the first. Brandi demonstrates her silly walk after 6 days of chemotherapy. Still has her hair. Name of drip: Ansel. Then her sister Kim takes her back to her room for some candid discussion and a few tears.
Video Rating: 2 / 5

2011 Pediatric Cancer Toolkit: Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), Plus Cancer and Health Encyclopedias (Ringbound Book and DVD-ROM)
This up-to-date and comprehensive ringbound book and DVD-ROM disc set provides a superb collection of authoritative documents from…

The Official Patient’s Sourcebook on Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Revised and Updated Directory for the Internet Age
This book has been created for patients who have decided to make education and research an integral part of the treatment process….

What You Need to Know About Acute Myelogenous Leukemia – It’s Your Life, Live It!
As an Oncology Nurse. I had only one protocol in mind while writing this book. That was to show you the most successful cancer tre…

Particularities of Different Types of Leukemia

by OGUN

Particularities of Different Types of Leukemia

Leukemia is a form of cancer that occurs at the level of the spinal marrow. Inside the spinal marrow there is a type of immature blood cells that are called stem cells. These cells have a neutral initial state and later develop into different types of blood cells (white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets). Leukemia interferes in the normal process of cell maturation, leading to an accumulation of partially developed blood cells in the marrow, blood and later in body organs. Most of these resulted cells are inefficient inside the organism, as they can’t carry out the activity of normal blood cells.

Depending on to the rate of development, the disease can either be acute leukemia (developing very rapidly), or chronic leukemia (slow developing).

Particular to acute leukemia is the inability of stem cells (immature cells that can be found within the bone marrow) to reach the state of maturity. These immature blood cells tend to continuously divide and they accumulate in the bloodstream. Acute leukemia develops very rapidly and people who suffer from it need immediate treatment and specific therapy. If mistreated or ignored, acute leukemia causes the death of affected patients within a few months. While certain forms of acute leukemia are usually successfully treated, other forms don’t respond well to the specific treatment.

A characteristic of the chronic type of leukemia is that the diseased cells usually come from more mature cells, but in most cases they aren’t developed normally. The leukemia cells have long periods of life and they tend to accumulate within the bloodstream. Although normal people have between 5000 and 10000 white blood cells in their body, people who suffer from chronic leukemia may have more than 100000.

Lymphocytic and myelogenous types of leukemia are developed from different types of cells: the lymphocytic type of leukemia develops from cells called lymphoblasts or lymphocytes in the spongious tissue of the bones, while the myelogenous type of leukemia (sometimes refered to as myeloid and myelocytic leukemia) develops from myeloid cells. Judging by the types of cells involved in the development of leukemia and by the rate of cellular division specific to each form of the disease, the main types of leukemia are: acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

In addition to the common forms of chronic leukemia, there are also some rare types. Hairy cell leukemia (HCL), just like chronic lymphocytic leukemia, has a slow progression. The cells of hairy cell leukemia are different from other diseased cells mainly through their aspect. Hairy cell leukemia doesn’t usually respond well to treatment. Prolymphocytic leukemia is a very rare and unusual form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Some cancers, called lymphomas, are caused by abnormal blood cells that are present in the lymph nodes, liver, spleen or other organs. These particular types of cancer don’t occur at the levels of the bone marrow and have a development that is not characteristic to most forms of lymphocytic leukemia.

2011 Pediatric Cancer Toolkit: Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), Plus Cancer and Health Encyclopedias (Ringbound Book and DVD-ROM)
This up-to-date and comprehensive ringbound book and DVD-ROM disc set provides a superb collection of authoritative documents from…

The Official Patient’s Sourcebook on Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Revised and Updated Directory for the Internet Age
This book has been created for patients who have decided to make education and research an integral part of the treatment process….

What You Need to Know About Acute Myelogenous Leukemia – It’s Your Life, Live It!
As an Oncology Nurse. I had only one protocol in mind while writing this book. That was to show you the most successful cancer tre…