Wanda Nara confirmed through social networks that suffers from leukemia. He did it this afternoon at the request of one of his followers. “What illness do you have?” a follower asked her, through the question box that she activated in her Instagram stories, where more than 16 million users can interact with her profile.
Upon seeing the query, the media selected the “reply” option and clarified: “Leukemia”. It was the first time that, publicly, he told what was happening to him by his own name. “At first I told him that thing that I have. Later I was able to tell him illness”he acknowledged.
The Leukemia is a type of cancer that originates in the bone marrow y consists of an uncontrolled production of abnormal cells or ‘malignant’. Although it is not a solid tumor, as in other types of cancer, it is considered a oncohematological disease.
“Bone marrow is a tissue found inside the bones and is the place where blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets) are formed. There are acute leukemias (that progress quickly, in a few weeks) and chronic leukemias (that progress more slowly, in several months); and within them there are different types,” he had recently told Infobae the doctor Francisca Rojas (MN 90648), jefa de la Hematology Division of the Hospital de Clínicas “General. José de San Martín”, the institution dependent on the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA).
Although leukemias are not preventableas happens with around a third of cancer cases, share many aspects, such as the importance of early detection and access to the most appropriate treatment for each type and stage of disease.
The doctor Alicia Enricohematologist at the Italian Hospital of La Plata explained to Infobae los most common types of leukemia. “We can say that there is acute and chronic leukemias. They differ in the way they are presented. The acute ones are too expressive to be called anything, while the chronic ones are often findings in a routine study. If we focus on the chronic ones, we can affirm that there are those that affect individuals over 70 years of age, which is chronic lymphatic leukemia. The one that affects adults but not so old is called chronic myeloid,” said the expert.
And he added: “Chronic myeloid leukemia is a disease that has had many scientific advances in recent years, especially since 2001. It is a disease with a very specific injury in which new drugs are used for treatment. “They are called drugs with molecular targets, which allow the disease to change its prognosis and allow patients to have a life expectancy almost similar to that of healthy individuals.”
“Los Treatments for the disease are called tyrosine kinase inhibitors. There are 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation. A tyrosine kinase inhibitor is a type of enzyme inhibitor that specifically blocks the action of one or more proteins (as the name suggests, kinases) by preventing diseased cells from growing and thereby restoring blood counts to normal. “Enrico specified.
“The rapid uncontrolled and disordered growth of these cells is called acute leukemia leading to an accumulation of non-functional immature cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood; that is, normal cells cannot be produced, this causes anemia due to lack of red blood cellsinfections lack of white blood cells and bleeding due to lack of platelets”, indicate FUNDALEU, the entity that has been dedicated to the research and treatment of oncohematological diseases for more than six decades in order to obtain better curability rates.
In Argentina, it is estimated that there are approximately 3,000 new cases of leukemia per year. This disease can affect people of any age, although acute myeloid leukemia is more common in adults, especially those over 60 years of age.
Dr. Rojas indicated that “The initial diagnostic suspicion is given by the patient’s symptoms: In acute leukemias, the symptoms appear quickly and are caused by the anemia (tiredness, weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath), due to the involvement of the white blood cells that serve for our defenses (several repeated infections) and by reducing the platelets (predisposition to bleeding, especially of the mucous membranes such as gums, very heavy menstruation in women, epistaxis (nose bleeds) and the appearance of spontaneous hematomas on the skin, while chronic leukemias tend to have more overlapping symptoms over time.
In this sense, consulted by Infobaethe hematologist Beatriz Moiraghi, from the Ramos Mejía Hospital in the City of Buenos Aires, explained that “within acute leukemias, there is acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloblastic leukemia.” “Within the chronic leukemias, there is chronic lymphocytic (CLL) and chronic myeloid,” he added.
Regarding the symptoms and how to arrive at the diagnosis, the specialist explained that “for the early detection of leukemia, the important thing is to do periodic hemograms (blood tests). One of the symptoms of any type of leukemia – and especially in chronic ones – is that the patient has weight loss, lack of appetiteheaviness in the belly area, pain in the abdomen due to inflammation of the spleen I the liver or bone pain from increase in white blood cells.
“There may also be unexplained weight lossfever, increased sweating, especially at night, swollen lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen (the patient may therefore present immediate satiety with food intake); pain or tenderness in the bones. Or there is a blood count abnormal in a routine checkup without the patient having any symptoms,” added the head of the Hematology Division of the Hospital de Clínicas.
Dr. Rojas stressed that, when faced with a suspected diagnosis, a hematologist must evaluate the patient to request specific tests: “In addition to general laboratory studies, the bone marrow accessed through a biopsy must be specifically studied and that sample sent to a laboratory to look for leukemia cells. Specific studies of leukemia cells reveal characteristics of the disease that are used to determine treatment options. The most important: Today there are treatment options for each type of leukemia”.
People with leukemia are faced with a wide spectrum of therapeutic options. Among the most common alternatives are chemotherapy, targeted therapy, biological therapy, radiotherapy and transplant of stem cells. In cases where the spleen is significantly enlarged, the medical team may recommend surgical intervention to remove it.
“If it is chronic myeloid leukemia or chronic lymphatic leukemia, patients have very good responses and recover, so they can have a life. In the case of acute leukemias, it all depends on how the patient responds to treatment. chemotherapy. How the marrow recovers and based on that, the doctor evaluates the effectiveness of the treatment with marrow and molecular studies,” Dr. Moiraghi added to Infobae.
Regarding the quality of life of the patients, the Argentine Myeloid Leukemia Association (ALMA) detailed to Infobae that in some types of leukemia, myeloma or lymphoma, referral and response rates are very highas well as controls sustained over time, which allows keeping a practically normal life and continue working or doing physical activity, as long as the treatment and the doctor’s instructions are followed.
During the last five decades, medical science has managed to develop increasingly effective treatments for patients suffering from leukemia. These advances include the implementation of new drugs, the use of monoclonal antibodies and supportive treatments, such as blood transfusions and antibiotics. Additionally, peripheral stem cell transplantation, commonly known as bone marrow transplant, has been a vital option in many cases.
There are different classifications based on the type of white blood cell or bone marrow cells affected. Leukemia can originate in lymphoid cells or myeloid cells, giving rise to different types of the disease.
When leukemia begins in the lymphoid cells of the bone marrow, it is called lymphoblastic leukemia . On the other hand, if myeloid cells are the protagonists, it is myeloid leukemia. This classification becomes essential to determine the most appropriate and personalized therapeutic approach for each patient.
– Chronic lymphoblastic leukemia (CLL): Affects lymphoid cells and usually grows slowly. Most people diagnosed with the disease are over 55 years old. It almost never affects children.
– Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML): Affects myeloid cells and usually grows slowly at first. It mainly affects adults.
– Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL): Affects lymphoid cells and grows rapidly. It is the most common type of leukemia in young children. It also affects adults.
– Aguda myeloid leukemia (AML): It affects myeloid cells and grows rapidly. It accounts for more than 13,000 new cases of leukemia each year. It occurs in both adults and children.
The post first appeared on www.infobae.com