Can Leukemia be Identified Through a Blood Test?

Table Of Contents:

• Introduction

• What is Leukemia?

• Symptoms of Leukemia

• How Common is Leukemia in India?

• Duration and Process

• Can Leukemia be Identified Through a Blood Test?

• How is Leukemia Diagnosed?

• How is Leukemia Treated?

• Conclusion

Introduction:

Leukemia is terrorizing if not found at an earlier stage. Since it is both acute and chronic earlier detections can be easier to get rid of Leukemia cancer. You can easily identify these cancer cells in your body and treat them at the right time to be cancer-free. Here you can learn about the leukemia identification method and and more about its diagnosis and treatment processes. 

What is Leukemia?

Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects your bone marrow causing it to produce abnormal amounts so white blood cells. These white blood cells make it hard for red blood cells and platelets to do their work properly. Some of the common types of leukemia are as follows,

• Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
• Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
• Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)

Symptoms of Leukemia

It has been found that slow-growing leukemia has no symptoms but for rapid growing leukemia types cause symptoms such as,

• Pain in bones or joints
• Feeling dizziness, fatigue, and fever.
• Loss of appetite
• Shortness of breath
• Swollen lymph nodes in your neck.
• Nose and gums bleeding
• Pale skin
• Frequent Infections
• Fever and night sweats.

How Common is Leukemia in India?

India ranks third worldwide for the highest reported cases of blood cancer. For every 5 minutes, someone in India is diagnosed with blood cancer and every year 70,000 people die from it. People with acute leukemia have fewer chances of finding it, so it is better to get a diagnosis for leukemia at early stages to battle the cancer with better treatment methods.

Can Leukemia be Identified Through a Blood Test?

Yes, Leukemia can be identified through a complete blood Count (CBC) Test. This test lets you find the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. By comparing white blood cell count with the average value you can easily identify leukemia. You have to do further tests to confirm if have leukemia or not.

Get to know more about blood tests from Blood Tests: Types, Results, and How They Work.

How is Leukemia Diagnosed?

Undergoing routine blood tests can warn your doctor about your acute or chronic leukemia. It is better to be safe than to be sorry, so you need to diagnose yourself for leukemia. You have to work up from symptoms to diagnosis procedure to find if you are having leukemia are not. Here are the diagnosis methods you have to use to detect leukemia at an earlier stage. 

• Physical Exam: Let your doctor examine you physically to find the symptoms of leukemia like swollen lymph nodes, and enlarged spleen or liver. And, check if there is any bleeding in your gums and have skin rashes. 
• Complete Blood Count: Do a Complete Blood Count test to find the exact number of white blood cells in your body. Then compare it with your previous blood test histories to find leukemia.
• Blood Cell Examination: Additional blood tests are carried out to check if there are any markers of leukemia. You will be suggested for additional tests like flow cytometry and peripheral blood smear.
• Bone Marrow Biopsy: Since bone marrow is the most affected part during leukemia, you can take a fluid sample from your bone marrow and get it tested in labs for leukemia cells. This can help you determine the percentage of abnormal cells in your bone marrow.
• Medical Imaging Process: You are to take an X-ray, CT Scan, or MRI to look for damages made to your bones, organs, or tissues due to leukemia cells.
• Lumbar Puncture (Spinal Tap): To see if leukemia has spread to the brain and spinal cord, a simple spinal fluid test is done. 

If you are interested in learning about ovarian cancer, check out Can a CT Scan Detect Ovarian Cancer?

How is Leukemia Treated?

The treatment for leukemia is completely dependent on the type of cancer cells you have and the severity of it. Here are some of the treatment methods used to get rid of leukemia.

Chemotherapy

This leukemia treatment procedure uses powerful chemicals to get rid of cancer-causing cells in your body. When the anticancer drugs are added to your bloodstream, they circulate throughout your body and kill the cancer cells. The type of chemotherapy that a leukemia patient can receive is determined by his/her doctor. It may fully cure your cancer or help you prolong your life. 

Blood Transfusion

Blood transfusion is recommended when you are anemic due to low platelet count, or low white blood cell count. You can get blood of the same type from another person to restore your blood cell count. But, this is just a temporary measure and you have to get other types of treatment to make you free of leukemia.

Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are responsible for the production of mature blood cells in bone marrow. You can either transplant it with your bone marrow or from a donor. It can help you create or control blood cell count in your body and help you battle leukemia. 

Conclusion

Now that you have a clear idea of how Leukemia is diagnosed and treated. You can have a cancer-free life by getting your blood test right now at your nearest scan center. The earlier you are the better your chances of identifying leukemia and curing it before it spreads throughout your body.