Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

Even after a remission has been achieved, studies of spinal fluid may reveal the presence of leukemic cells in the central nervous system of some patients. The fact that some leukemic cells have found a sanctuary in the central nervous system makes them a threat to the patient. Due to the properties of the capillary walls that prevent certain substances from passing from the blood to the central nervous system, these leukemic cells are not killed by the chemotherapeutic drugs. Radiation therapy and drugs administered directly into the spinal fluid are being used to help prevent and control central nervous system leukemia. This is more common with ALL than with other types of leukemia .

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a disease of old or middle age in which there is an abnormal increase in lymphocytes. The course ofCLL varies a great deal from person to person. Generally, however, the disease begins slowly and progresses to an aggressive stage after a period of years. Scientists disagree on the best treatment for the early stage of CLL. Current thinking favors monitoring the patient and delaying anticancer treatment until symptoms, such as anemia or lymph node enlargement, appear. Orijinal Picture Most patients respond well to moderate doses of chemotherapy . Radiation therapy also produces remission in a large number of patients. Initially CLL responds well to treatment. In its later stages, however, leukemic cells develop resistance to therapy and most patients relapse. Various studies are under way, using experimental chemotherapies both as single or combination drugs, to overcome such drug resistance.

What is maintenance therapy? It is an effort to keep the patient in remission, prevent the reappearance ofleukemic cells, and maintain a normal  bone marrow  and  blood picture . How is a bone marrow aspiration done? The bone marrow test may be done on the breastbone or hipbone. The breastbone test is done with the patient lying on his or her back. The patient usually lies on the stomach when it is done on the hipbone. The area is numbed and a tiny opening is made in the skin. The doctor will use a special two part needle made up of a hollow tube with another solid tube fitted into it. When this has been inserted into the bone marrow, the solid tube is removed and an empty suction tube is attached to the opening ofthe needle. The doctor will pull some of the marrow out by pulling back on the plunger. You are likely to feel pressure, but it will hurt for just a few seconds. If the first attempt is not successful, the doctor will repeat the process. Sometimes it is di...

Adult leukemias and lymphomas are diseases that attack the blood and lymph nodes. Although most people consider leukemia to be a childhood cancer, the majority of those who are diagnosed with leukemia are adults. Improvements in treatments over the last decade have made it possible for physicians to treat the disease aggressively and in some cases to cure it. There are several major types of the disease, each with its own set of symptoms and treatments. Hodgkin's disease is a cancer of the lymph nodes. Once considered fatal, it is now usually curable. Other diseases of the lymph tissues include adult non Hodgkin's lymphomas, some ofwhich are slow growing, while others progress rapidly. Careful planning is necessary to determine the best treatment in each individual case. Sarcomas, cancers that begin in the body's connective tissue, are usually divided into two groups: bone cancers and soft tissue sarcomas. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are often used in the init...