Did you know that about 14.0 out of every 100,000 people deal with leukaemia? That too in a year! 

Blood cancer affects blood cells of the body. It occurs when something goes wrong with the DNA in your blood cells. This makes them abnormal and causes them to multiply. These abnormal cells don't function properly. As a result, your blood becomes less effective at keeping your body healthy.

We will discuss about various approaches to manage blood cancer in this blog, so read it till the end.

Types of Blood Cancer

The top five common blood cancers are:

• Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
• Myeloma
• Chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms
• Acute myeloid leukaemia
• Marginal zone lymphoma

Some grow rapidly and are termed as "acute”. On the other hand, others have a slower pace, known as "chronic." 

How To Plan Blood Cancer Treatment?

Doctors work with you to develop a blood cancer treatment plan based on these factors. 

• Type of blood cancer.
• Category and level.
• General health.
• Signs and Symptoms
• Cell variety and findings from genetic testing.
• Counts of blood cells.

Additionally, you may face questions like:

1. Have you experienced blood cancer or any other forms of cancer previously?
2. When did you start feeling the symptoms?
3. The location of blood cancer cells in your body.
4. Whether blood cancer cells have reached your central nervous system.
5. Are the cancer cells appearing to be spreading too quickly?

Blood Cancer Treatments

Here are some popular and most effective blood cancer treatments.

Wait and See

Every patient with blood cancer doesn’t need to be rushed to start treatment immediately. Some may not need it at all. If you have a slow-growing blood cancer, your doctor might suggest a "wait and see" approach. In this approach, you'll have regular check-ups and blood tests but won't undergo active treatment unless necessary.

Choosing to wait doesn't mean treatment is off the table. It's recommended when your doctor thinks there's no added benefit to starting treatment immediately. If the cancer isn't causing issues, this approach is safe. It avoids the side effects of medicines.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a popular treatment to combat cancer. In this process, various medicines are used to kill cancer cells. Note that the drugs can be given through a vein, either as an infusion or in tablet form. Doctors often suggest treatment in cycles, including a period of rest. 

Stem Cell Transplant

Stem cells generate multiple cells in your body. These special cells are also called hematopoietic stem cells. Moreover, they are found in the soft tissue inside your bones and in your blood.

When these stem cells are damaged due to cancer, they cannot create red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Thus, doctors suggest for a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. 

 The stem cell transplant is of two types basically:

1. Autologous Transplant:

• Uses your own stem cells, taken from your body before strong treatment.
• After treatment, these cells are put back in to help your immune system and make blood cells.

1. Allogenic Transplant:

• Uses stem cells from another person (a donor) after treatment.
• Sometimes, the new cells can even fight and destroy any remaining cancer cells.

Finding the right donor match is super important. Additionally, siblings are often the best match. However, other family members or even unrelated volunteers can be donors. 

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses your own immune system to kill cancer cells. The best thing is that it is a potent and lasting treatment. 

Types of immunotherapy include:

• Inhibitors of checkpoints.
• T-cell transfer therapy.
• Antibodies that are monoclonal.
• Vaccines against cancer.
• Modulators of the immune system.

Targeted Therapies

Targeted therapy uses drugs to target genes and proteins in cancer cells. It can impact the cell environment or cells linked to cancer growth. This treatment is versatile, used alone or with other treatments like chemotherapy.

How It Works:

• Cancer starts when genes in cells mutate. It leads to abnormal proteins and uncontrolled cell growth.
• Researchers find specific genetic changes, known as targets, crucial for tumor growth.
• Drugs are created to attack these targets, blocking signals, limiting cell life, or destroying cancer cells.
• Tests determine unique cancer factors. They help doctors in selecting the best targeted therapy. 

Types of Targeted Therapy:

• Monoclonal Antibodies: Block specific targets on cancer cells or around them, aiding other treatments like chemotherapy.
• Small-Molecule Drugs: Block processes helping cancer cells multiply and spread.

Radiotherapy

Radiation therapy or radiotherapy helps in treating cancer. It uses powerful energy beams, often X-rays, to kill cancer cells. There is also a type called proton radiation.

Modern radiation methods are precise, targeting cancer while sparing healthy tissues. You can get radiation inside or outside your body. The usual way is external beam radiation using a big machine called a linear accelerator. It sends strong beams directly to the cancer spot. For inside-the-body treatment, called brachytherapy, a small implant is placed near the cancer. This method is common and effective.

Radiation works by damaging cells, especially their genetic material that controls growth. Healthy cells might also get affected, but they can repair better than cancer cells. The goal is to treat cancer without harming multiple healthy cells.

Conclusion

Patients and healthcare providers must recognize the type of blood cancer and the treatment plan. As medical knowledge grows, new therapies and treatments give hope to blood cancer patients. One needs to spot it early and get the correct diagnosis to improving the chances of successful treatment. 

There are many options available like innovative treatments and patient support.  Thus, the patient can experience progress in overcoming blood cancer.