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Myeloid Leukemia in India: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Survival Rates
By Prashant Baghel
Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood. Myeloid leukemia is a specific type that affects the bone marrow and blood cells. It is one of the most difficult health problems to deal with. Leukemia is a big problem in India, but survival rates have been going up thanks to better ways to find and treat it. Myeloid leukemia, which includes Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), has its own set of problems and needs prompt and accurate medical attention.
In this article, we'll talk about myeloid leukemia in India, including how it's diagnosed, the treatments that are available, and the chances of survival. We will also talk about the role of healthcare facilities and discoveries in medical science that help people get better results.
What is Myeloid Leukemia?
Myeloid leukemia is a kind of cancer that starts in the bone marrow, which is where blood cells are made. It mainly affects the making of myeloid cells, which turn into different parts of blood, like red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. There are two main types of myeloid leukemia:
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML): This type of leukemia grows quickly and needs to be treated right away.
- Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML): This type grows more slowly, and doctors usually find it earlier, when the symptoms aren't as bad.
Both types have different symptoms and treatment plans, but both need to see a doctor right away for a better chance of survival.
How to tell if you have Myeloid Leukemia in India
It can be hard to find myeloid leukemia early because its symptoms are similar to those of other diseases. But there are many tests and procedures in India that can help doctors find the disease early.
Common Signs of Myeloid Leukemia:
- Weight loss that can't be explained
- Tiredness or weakness
- Fever and getting sick a lot
- Bleeding or bruising that isn't normal
- Pain in the bones or joints
- Lymph nodes or spleen that are swollen
- Skin that is pale or sallow
Tests to Diagnose Myeloid Leukemia:
Tests on Blood: A complete blood count (CBC) is often the first test done to find out if someone has leukemia. It checks the levels of different blood cells. With myeloid leukemia, there is usually an unusual rise in white blood cells.
Bone Marrow Biopsy: A bone marrow biopsy is when a small piece of bone marrow is taken out and looked at to see if there are any abnormal cells. This is very important for finding out what type of leukemia someone has and for staging it.
Genetic Tests: These tests look for changes in certain genes. For example, the Philadelphia chromosome is often found in CML, but other genetic changes may be present in AML.
Imaging Tests: CT scans or X-rays can be used to look for enlarged organs, like the liver or spleen.
Myeloid leukemia treatment options in India
Depending on whether the patient has AML or CML and their general health, treatment for myeloid leukemia is different. The treatment plans are very personalized, with the main goal of getting rid of the cancerous cells and controlling the symptoms.
1. How to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
It is important to treat AML right away because it is so aggressive. The main ways to treat are:
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is the most common way to treat AML. It means giving drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be very hard on the body, and the patient may need to stay in the hospital for a few weeks to be watched and recover.
Stem Cell Transplant: If chemotherapy doesn't work, the next step may be a stem cell transplant. This procedure removes the patient's sick bone marrow and replaces it with healthy stem cells, which usually come from a donor. This gets blood cell production back to normal.
Targeted Therapy: Targeted drugs can help fight some of the genetic changes that are found in AML cells. When AML cells have changes in the FLT3 gene, people often take drugs like FLT3 inhibitors.
Immunotherapy: Some patients can now choose immunotherapy because of new developments. It helps the immune system find leukemia cells and kill them.
2. Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) Care
CML moves along more slowly than AML, and the way to treat it is different:
Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs): TKIs like imatinib (Gleevec) are the most common way to treat CML. These drugs work against the BCR-ABL protein that is caused by the Philadelphia chromosome mutation and makes CML cells grow. TKIs have greatly increased the chances of survival for people with CML.
Stem Cell Transplant: If TKIs don't work, a stem cell transplant may be needed. It's a more involved procedure that is used when other treatments haven't worked.
Chemotherapy: Sometimes used in later stages when other treatments don't work anymore.
3. Treatments that help
Patients may need supportive treatments in addition to the specific therapies listed above to help with side effects and make their lives better.
- Blood transfusions are used to treat anemia or low platelet counts.
- Antibiotics or antifungals are used to treat infections that happen when the immune system is weak.
- Pain Management: To help with any pain in the bones or joints that the disease or its treatment may have caused.
Myeloid Leukemia Survival Rates in India
The survival rate for myeloid leukemia is based on a number of things, such as the type of leukemia, the patient's age, their overall health, and how early the disease is found. Survival rates can be very different from one person to the next, but new treatments have made the outlook for many patients much better.
Survival Rates for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML):
AML is a more aggressive type of leukemia, and how long a person lives with it depends on how quickly they start treatment. In India, the five-year survival rate for AML is about 25% to 40%. Age, genetic mutations, and how well chemotherapy works can all affect the survival rate.
Survival Rates for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML):
The survival rates for CML have gone up a lot thanks to targeted therapies like tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). For people with CML in India who respond well to treatment, the five-year survival rate is between 60% and 80%. People who are diagnosed early have an even better chance of living.
Better treatments are making more people live longer
Over the past few years, the overall outlook for people with myeloid leukemia in India has gotten better thanks to new treatments and stem cell transplants. However, the patient's ability to respond to treatment, the quality of care, and access to healthcare facilities are still very important for survival rates.
Problems with treating myeloid leukemia in India
Even though treatments have gotten better, people in India still have a lot of trouble managing myeloid leukemia:
Not enough access to healthcare: A lot of rural areas in India still don't have easy access to specialized leukemia treatment centers. Patients might have to go to bigger cities to get more advanced care.
High Treatment Costs: Many patients can't afford life-saving treatments because targeted therapies and stem cell transplants can be very expensive.
Late Diagnosis: Because the signs of leukemia can be vague and look like other diseases, many people are diagnosed later, which can limit their treatment options and chances of survival.
Conclusion
Myeloid leukemia, whether acute or chronic, poses a considerable challenge in India due to its complexity and aggressive characteristics. But survival rates have gone up in the last few years thanks to better diagnostic tools and treatments like chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and stem cell transplants. Early diagnosis, good access to treatment, and individualized care can all have a big impact on outcomes.
People with myeloid leukemia must go to a hospital with specialized oncology departments for treatment. One such place is Oncare Cancer Hospital, which provides full care for leukemia patients, from diagnosis to advanced treatment and support. Oncare is the best place in India to manage and treat myeloid leukemia because it has a team of expert oncologists, the latest technology, and a focus on patient health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Myeloid leukemia is a kind of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow and stops the body from making blood cells normally.
Chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for chronic myeloid leukemia, and immunotherapy are all possible treatments.
The chances of survival depend on the type of leukemia. The five-year survival rate for AML is between 25% and 40%. For CML, it can be as high as 80% with the right treatment.
Blood tests, bone marrow biopsies, genetic tests, and imaging tests are all common ways to find out what is wrong.
In certain instances, targeted therapies or stem cell transplants may supplant chemotherapy, especially in chronic myeloid leukemia.
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