September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month as well as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Both of these areas are so important to review, that I hope you will look for additional information on the internet, to stay on top of the changes that are developing daily.

Blood cancers affect the production and function of your blood cells. Most of these cancers start in your bone marrow where blood is produced. Stem cells in your bone marrow mature and develop into three types of blood cells: red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets. In most blood cancers, the normal blood cell development process is interrupted by uncontrolled growth of an abnormal type of blood cell. These abnormal blood cells, or cancerous cells, prevent your blood from performing many of its functions, like fighting off infections or preventing serious bleeding.

Source: http://www.hematology.org/Patients/Cancers/

There are primarily three different types of blood cancers:

Leukemia

1) Leukemia is a type of cancer that occurs in the bone marrow (where blood is made), and in the blood itself.  There are two different types of leukemia.  Each type involves a large number of white blood cells.  One type, called lymphocytic leukemia, involves a large number of white blood cells called lymphocytes.  The other type, called myelogenous leukemia, involves a large number of white blood cells called granulocytes.  White blood cells are important to help our bodies fight infection.

Leukemia can be acute or chronic. Acute leukemia develops quickly and means the body is producing a large number of white blood cells that are underdeveloped and so they cannot do their job correctly.

Chronic leukemia develops slowly and means the body is producing a large number of white blood cells that are functioning normally.  Having too many white blood cells does more harm than good.

Lymphoma

2) Lymphoma is a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.  The lymphatic system keeps the body fluids clean and free from infection.  It is made of groups of lymph nodes (tissue masses that filter out infection-causing organisms) and vessels connecting the lymph nodes.

There are two general types of lymphoma: Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.  In Hodgkin lymphoma the cancer spreads from one group of lymph nodes to another in a certain order.  In non-Hodgkin lymphoma the cancer spreads from one group of lymph nodes to another in a random order.  There are many different types of both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Myeloma

3) Myeloma is a cancer that causes the plasma cells to form a tumor in the bone marrow.  Bone marrow is a soft part of the bone where blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) are made.  Plasma cells are white blood cells that make antibodies.  Antibodies fight infections from things like bacteria, viruses, and chemicals.

Myeloma is usually found in multiple places in the body.  When this happens, it is called multiple myeloma.  Sometimes, myeloma is only found in one place.  This is called solitary myeloma, and is rare.

Source: http://www.ucan.cc/Cancer%20Education/Blood_Cancer_FAQ/how-many-different-types-blood-cancers.php

My mother died due to Aplastic Anemia, which falls into the spectrum of the blood disorders, so this topic is close to my heart. There are many resources available to learn more information about the various classifications of these conditions and if you or a loved one is interested in more information, the following websites are good references:

The American Society of Hematology: http://www.hematology.org/

The American Society of Clinical Oncology: www.asco.org

A note to people undergoing treatment:

As with any disease process, how you choose to manage the condition and the treatment depends on a number of things. Whether the treatment causes significant side effects or limits function for a certain number of days after treatment, it is important to focus on the goal.

You have to surround yourself with people who have conquered the condition and are leading full lives. In other words you have to stay mentally strong. If you can find the resources to feed your positive thinking, you can handle more than you think.

There are challenges with energy primarily, and you want to focus on using energy conservation techniques to help you store your energy resources. For example; sit to shower, sit to do meal preparation when possible and allow people to give you a hand.

Learn to be gracious and say thank you. No one expects you to be your normal self during the treatment of your condition. Send us an email or a message through contact us and let us know how we can help you. xo Sally