Biology 10

Leukemia
Cancer is a group of diseases caused by uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of
the body. Cancer can occur in any tissue of the body. Leukemia is blood cancer that begins in
the blood stem cells that are found in the bone marrow. Leukemia is linked to an
accumulation of mutations that occur naturally and can also be caused by radiation. Leukemia
develops when the blood stem cells change and no longer grow or behave the same, causing
large amounts of irregular blood cells to be produced and enter the blood stream
(medicine.com). Overtime these abnormal cells suppress the normal cells affecting their
functions. Leukemia can be classified as acute or chronic. Chronic leukemia progresses more
slowly than acute leukemia, it develops over months and years. The symptoms are usually
hard to detect.

Acute leukemia requires immediate treatment. Leukemia can also be

classified as lymphocytic or myelogenous. Lymphocytic leukemia is when the irregular cell

growth in the marrow becomes a type of white blood cell that is needed in the immune
system. This white blood cell is also known as lymphocytes. Myelogenous leukemia is when
the abnormal cells mature into red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets. There are four
main broad specifications for leukemia; Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), Acute myeloid
leukemia (AML), Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
There are many ways to treat leukemia. The patients have many options; chemotherapy,
targeted therapy, biological therapy, radiation therapy and stem cell therapy. To make the
treatments more active, doctors may use a mix of the therapies. The well known treatment is
the mix between chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. Chemotherapy is a drug
treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill the abnormal cells in the body. Chemotherapy
is the most effective way of curing cancer, but it can also damage the healthy cells present in
the body, causing high risks for many side effects. The common side effects are nausea,
vomiting, hair loss, diarrhoea, pain, fatigue, constipation, fever and easy bruising. The longlasting and late developing side effects of chemotherapy are; heart problems, kidney
problems, nerve damage, lung tissue damage, infertility and even a possibility of a second
cancer. Researchers and physicians have started to solve the risk of side effects problem, by
performing stem cell transplantation (SCT).
To replace the healthy cells that have been affected by chemotherapy, patients are given a
Stem Cell Transplant. Stem cells are blood-forming cells that are found in the bone marrow;

they continuously divide to form new healthy blood cells. The first step in the process enables
the doctors to give chemotherapy in doses that are strong enough to kill the leukemia affected
cells. A transplant of stem cells can replenish the injured bone marrow. The stem cells
manufacture the needed blood cells. For the treatment, the patients own cells can be used, if
it is possible to collect enough. If a different donor is needed, it has to match the patients
tissue type, otherwise donor cells will be rejected by the patients immune system or the other
way around (graft-versus-host disease). The limitations with the current stem cell
transplantation, is the possibility of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and infections. The
body is vulnerable to infections; during the time it takes for the transplanted stem cells to
produce the necessary blood cells. GvHD is when the donor blood cells attack the patients
tissues. This is very life-threatening and the best way to avoid or minimise this is by closely
matching the tissue type with the donor. Currently improved treatments are being tested in
the clinic that will be able to reduce these risks and limitations.
Leukemia does not only have physical health effects on the patient, it can also have effects on
the society, economy and psychological well being of the patient. Countries and cancer
organizations spend millions on the research of cancer. Even though they have found possible
solutions for treatments, the experiments are still in progress. Stem cell transplantation is
currently seen as one of the best cures to recover the blood cells. But, it still has its risks and
limitations. Furthermore, the SCT is very expensive, it can cost up to and more than 100,000
dollars. Poor or middle class families cannot afford this. The other treatments such as
chemotherapy, damages the healthy cells. There is no effective way to replace them without
stem cell transplantation. Research is currently being done on other ways to improve the
current treatments and other alternative ways to treat luekemia. There is also a lot of
investment going into research facilities. People who have survived leukemia may not be
feeling psychologically well. Their attitude may have a negative impact on their friends,
family and society. The patients may also be excluded from social activities because of their
appearance (e.g. hair loss...). Parents will also be really worried and forget to keep up with
their job and social life.
There are also ethical problems of taking stem cells from fertility clinics. Ethical concerns are
mainly focused on the use of embryonic stem cells in research and their possible application
in medicine. Until recently, stem cells were obtained from embryos that were by-products of
assisted fertilisation attempts. Many religions believe that a new life begins at the point of
conception and argue that the fetus has human rights. Now researchers are allowed to create

human embryos for use in research, so that embryonic stem cells can be extracted. The
human embryos are being created specifically for research.
Even though cancer may have many negative impacts on the world, I think we should not
stop research being done on this because it will not be fair on the diagnosed patients and we
have to try and stop future problems. Stem cell therapy is probably not the only way to cure
this, in the future other solution may be found. In conclusion leukemia does not only affect
the affected person, but also has an effect on the society and economy as well.

Works citied:
"American Society of Hematology." Leukemia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.
"Leukemia & Stem Cell Transplantation." Leukemia. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

"Leukemia Symptoms, Causes, Treatment - How Is Leukemia Treated? - MedicineNet."

MedicineNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
Stemcell. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eurostemcell.org
%2Ffactsheet%2Fleukaemia-how-can-stem-cells-help>.
"Leukemia." Every Day Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.
"Stem Cell Transplantation for Leukemia." Leukemia Stem Cell Transplantation. N.p., 01
Jan. 0001. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.
"Chemotherapy Uses, Side Effects, Types, How It's Given, and More."WebMD. WebMD,
n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
"Chemotherapy." Mayoclinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
"Financial Issues for Families: Getting Help with Living Expenses." Financial Issues for
Families: Getting Help with Living Expenses. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.