“Resident Expert Presentation”Leukemia

Khadija AndrewsCEP 661Medical Psychology

What is Leukemia?

According to the National Cancer Institute

Leukemia is defined as:

“Cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes large numbers of blood cells to be produced and enter the bloodstream.”

Types of Leukemia

Leukemia is usually separated into two types, based on how quickly the cancer progresses:

ACUTE (Sudden Onset)

CHRONIC (Long Term)

Progresses rapidly

Accumulation of immature and useless cells.

Crowds out useful and mature cells in the blood and marrow.

Progresses less rapidly

More mature useful cells can be made/produced

Crowding out of useful cells takes place but at a much lesser rate.

Types of Leukemia Cont’d

Leukemia is also separated into two types, based on the type of blood cells affected:

LYMPHOCYTIC MYELOGENOUSCancer develops in the marrow cells that make lymphocytes .

Cancer develops in the marrow cells that produce red blood cells, other types of white cells, and platelets

NB: A Lymphocyte is a kind of white blood cell inside the vertebrae immune system.

Recap of the types of Leukemia

Acute Leukemia

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)

Most common type of leukemia among young children.

Adults can get ALL, particularly adults of 65 years old.

Survival rates of at least five years range from 85% among children and 50% among adults.

Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (ACL)

More common among adults than children.

Affects males significantly more often than females.

40% of patients treated survive for more than 5 years.

Chronic Leukemia

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

Most common among adults over 55, young adults can be affected.

CLL hardly ever affects children.

60% of persons afflicted are men.

75% of treated CLL patients survive for over five years.

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)

The majority of patients are adults.

A very small number of children get CML

90% of treated CML patients survive for more than 5 years.

Other Forms of Leukemia

There are other forms of leukemia, that do not fit into the other categories.

They are:

Hairy Cell Leukemia

T-Cell Prolymphocytic Leukemia

Large Granular Lymphocytic Leukemia

Adult T-Cell Leukemia

Causes & Risk Factors

Risk factors/causes of Leukemia:

Previous cancer treatment

Genetic diseases or abnormalities

Maternal fetal transmission (rare)

Exposure to some chemicals (eg: Benzene)

Viruses – Human T-lymphotropic virus and Human immunodeficiency virus

Smoking

Family history of leukemia

Signs & Symptoms

Swollen lymph nodes

Poor blood clotting

Easy bruising or bleeding

Frequent Infection

Develop anemia

Experience difficult or labored respiration

Skin has a pale color

Nausea

Fever

Chills

Night sweats

Flu-like symptoms

Tiredness

Headaches

Treatment

Treatment varies depending on the type of Leukemia,as well as other factors such as age and state of health.

Some common treatments are:

Chemotherapy

Biological Therapy

Targeted Therapy

Radiation Therapy

Stem Cell Transplant

Leukemia Statistics

One person in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer approximately every four minutes.

Every day 118 are diagnosed with leukemia and 60 lose the fight.

Leukemia accounts for about 33% of cancer cases in children aged 0-14.

An estimated 47,150 new cases will be diagnosed this year.

An estimated 23,540 deaths due to leukemia will happen this year.

Psychosocial Risks & Factors

Patients must confront a variety of psychosocial stressors, such as:

Fear of medical procedures and complications

Coping with physical effects of treatment

Fear of recurrence

Resolving problems relating to intimacy

Employment discrimination

(Henderson, 1997).

Factors that Affect Employment

Besides advancement in treatments, there are several variables that can help to predict continued employment, such as:

Patient’s disease stage

Level of physical disability

Job characteristics, and

Time flexibility

(Laszlo, 1990)

Vocational Implications

Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling for cancer patients should focus on:

Discrimination in the work place by employers and fellow employees

Employers’ expectation that those with cancer are less productive and more expensive

Acceptable and reasonable accommodations at work

Conclusion

Cancer survivors endure many challenges, such as living

with the emotional effects of their brush with death,

learning to live with the physical effects of their

treatment, and having to continue their former lives

(Life after cancer, 1994).

References

Facts and Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.lls.org/diseaseinformation/getinformationsupport/factsstatistics/

Henderson, P. A. (1997). Psychosocial adjustment of adult cancer survivors: Their needs and counselor interventions. Journal of Counseling & Development, 75 (3), 188-195.

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/leukemia

Laszlo, J. (1990). Why some cancer patients can stay on the job. Cancer News, 44 (2), 17-20.

Life after cancer. (1994, June). Harvard Women’s Health Watch, 1 (10), 6.

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2010).Treatment and Drugs retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/leukemia/DS00351/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs

Nordqvist. C. (2009, March 17). What Is Leukemia? What Causes Leukemia?. Medical News Today. Retrieved fromhttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/142595.php.

Picture (Slide 2) Retrieved from http://www.erichartwellfoundation.com/what-is-leukemia.html