Weekly Health Care

Archive for the ‘Cancer’ Category

Tests for diagnosis

They used the following tests and procedures:

- Physical exam and history: An exam of the body to check general signs of health, including assessment for signs of disease, such as lumps or anything else that seems unusual. It also recorded history in terms of health habits and past illnesses of the patient.

- Complete blood count: A procedure in which a sample of blood and checked for the following:

• The number of red cells, white cells and platelets.
• The amount of hemoglobin (the protein that carries oxygen) in red blood cells.
* The part of the sample of red blood cells.

- Cytogenetic analysis: An analysis in which we study a sample of blood or bone marrow under a microscope to detect changes in the structure or number of chromosomes in the lymphocytes.

- Immune phenotyping: a test in which cells in a sample of blood or bone marrow are analyzed under a microscope to determine whether they developed malignant lymphocytes (cancer) from B lymphocytes or T lymphocytes

- Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration: The removal of a small section of bone and marrow by inserting a needle into the hipbone or breastbone. A pathologist examines the sample to the microscope for abnormal cells.

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Risk Factors

Advanced age influences the risk of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Risk factors for CLL include the following:

- Middle-aged or older, male, or white.
- Family history of CLL or cancer of the lymphatic system.
- Families of Russian Jewish or Eastern European Jew.

Symptoms

Usually CLL does not cause any symptoms and is detected in a routine blood test. Sometimes symptoms can be caused by CLL or by other conditions. You should consult a doctor in the presence of any of the following problems:

- Painless swelling of lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, stomach, or groin.
- Fatigue that does not disappear.
- Pain or fullness below the ribs.
- Fever and infection.
- Weight loss (unexplained).

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (also called CLL) is a disease of the blood and bone marrow that usually gets worse slowly. It is the second most common type of leukemia in adults. Often occurs during or after middle age, is unusual in children. Advanced age influences the risk of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Possible signs of chronic lymphocytic leukemia include swollen lymph nodes and fatigue.

Normally the body produces stem cells from bone marrow (immature cells) that become mature blood cells. There are 3 types of mature blood cells:
- Red blood cells that carry oxygen and other materials to all tissues.
- White blood cells that fight infection and disease.
- Platelets help prevent bleeding by forming blood clots.

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