Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Blood Cancer By Dr Gaurav Kharya

Written by Tavishi Dogra | Updated : October 4, 2022 9:56 PM IST

In India, the increase in cancer cases over the past ten years has become a significant public health problem for the country. These cases have a long latent period, are primarily lifestyle-related and require specialised infrastructure and human resources to be treated. Cancer's physical, psychological and financial toll on people, families, communities and health systems keeps rising. The prevalence of cancer varies across India's regions, making prevention and management extremely difficult. Due to cancer not being a notifiable disease, the national burden assessment is still a task for which many developing nations, including India, rely on statistical models. The estimated number of cancer-related Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) (AMI) in India in 2021 was 26.7 million, and that number was predicted to rise to 29.8 million in 2025.

Each year, 1.24 million new instances of blood cancer are reported worldwide, making up about 6% of all cancer cases. Blood cancer develops in the bone marrow, tissues that create blood and compromise the immune system. According to incidence rates, there are primarily three different forms of blood cancers: lymphoma/leukaemia, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). In addition, blood cancer may arise when the body produces abnormal White Blood Cells (WBCs). It typically starts in the bone marrow, which produces blood in our body. This malignancy impairs the normal development, growth and functioning of blood cells that fight infection and produce healthy blood cells.

White blood cells produced by the body during leukaemia are incapable of battling infections. Depending on the type of blood cell involved and whether it is fast-growing or slow-growing (acute or chronic), leukaemia is divided into distinct forms (myeloid or lymphoid). Consequently, it can be broadly divided into four subtypes: acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Apart from these are some rare blood cancers such as Juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML).

Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Blood Cancer By Dr Gaurav Kharya, Clinical Lead Apollo Center & Indraprastha Apollo Hospital

Various diagnostic techniques are used to identify blood cancer, including clinical examination, blood testing, bone marrow tests, cytogenetic/karyotyping, molecular analyses, and flow cytometry. Most pediatric patients diagnosed with ALL or AML can be treated by chemotherapy. However, a smaller percentage of patients who don't respond well to chemotherapy are candidates for Bone marrow transplant to offer a long-term cure to these patients. In contrast, almost half of adult patients need BMT as consolidation to provide long-term treatment. If required, BMT can safely be done now using half HLA identical donors in case HLA matching donors are unavailable in experienced centres.

In most cases, the doctor will make a treatment recommendation based on research on the most effective treatments and national recommendations developed by experts. They will assess the type of blood cancer, the outcomes of any tests the patient has had, the state of the overall health, the available therapies, their effectiveness, and any potential risks or side effects.

There is a range of different treatments for blood cancer. But the most common ones include:

The cost of blood cancer therapy in India has several significant advantages. First, the most outstanding hospitals in India, equipped with the most cutting-edge equipment and a staff of oncologists and doctors with years of experience, are accessible to offer blood cancer patients comprehensive care.

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Prevalence Of Blood Cancer In India: Know Its Prevention And Management | TheHealthSite.com - TheHealthSite