What causes blood cancer? When did you do your blood test last? Benign and malignant blood disorders can be very dangerous and even fatal. Timely diagnosis and treatment of blood cancer can save your life. What is blood cancer and what causes cancer? Let’s find out.
What is blood cancer?
Blood cancer is a cancer of the hematopoietic and lymphatic systems where tumor tissue grows in the bone marrow replacing healthy cells with abnormal ones. Depending on the type of cancer, different types of cells may be involved As a result of the disease development, the patient may manifest different symptoms of blood cancer and cytopenia types:
- thrombocytopenia
- lymphocytopenia
- anemia
- granulocytopenia
They lead to hemorrhages, increased bleeding, and the development of infectious complications.
The pathogenic process develops in the bone marrow which is responsible for the production of blood cells:
- red blood cells
- white blood cells
- platelets
They perform certain functions in the body. Platelets prevent bleeding and also are involved in the process of blood coagulation. Leukocytes are involved in the fight against infections and protect the body from foreign agents. Red blood cells deliver oxygen to the organs and tissues of the body.
The pathogenic process begins with a mutational change in a single blood cell or bone marrow cell. The cell becomes blast for unknown reasons and begins to uncontrollably divide displacing healthy cells from the body’s blood system. It penetrates lymph nodes and other organs and tissues causing serious pathological changes.
The most common groups of blood cancers include
- leukemia
- myeloma
- lymphoma
Each of them has certain characteristics and types of treatment. So, what causes blood cancer?
Causes of blood cancer
This terrible and mysterious disease affects not only older people with an already weakened and worn-out body, but very often these days cancer is registered among children, adolescents, and young people. Modern medicine has not found out the causes of leukemia cancer at one hundred percent. The causes of blood cancer have been studied by hematologists around the world for several decades.
Today it is known that blood cancer begins to develop from a single cell that has undergone mutation. The altered bone marrow cell begins to divide uncontrollably and very quickly displaces and suppressing the growth of healthy blood cells.
The tumor is not formed with this disease. Malignant cells circulate through the human body with blood flow. Accumulating, they violate the human blood system over time. Then the patient is diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or multiple myeloma.
The causes of blood cancer may vary. Experts identify seven major factors in the development of the disease.
1. Immune system problems
One of the reasons for the development of blood cancer is the weakened human immune system. The body’s resistance is reduced. It allows cancer cells to spread more freely and quickly. For example, the presence of HIV significantly increases the risk of blood cancer developing.
Autoimmune diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.) also increase the likelihood of developing blood cancer. With these diseases in the human body, aggressive clones of cells are produced and multiply. This damage and destroy healthy tissues.
2. Exposure to chemicals
Regular carcinogens’ effects on the body are considered one of the causes for the blood cancer development. Constant contact with herbicides, pesticides, solvents as well as the use of water contaminated with chemicals is extremely dangerous. Benzene contained in cigarette smoke and gasoline, for example, is harmful in any quantity and can trigger the occurrence of chronic myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
It has been proven that non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can threaten women who often dye their hair in radically black color. The cause of blood cancer can also be harmful chemicals included in some hair dyes.
Sometimes blood cancer occurs after chemotheR@peutic treatment of other malignant tumors (liver, B.reast). This is because medicines used for chemotherapy cannot accurately distinguish cancer cells from other rapidly growing cells, such as hair and blood.
3. Radiation
Radiation causes very serious consequences that can occur even decades after exposure. The damage caused to the body is determined by the power and duration of the radiation. Sources of radiation may be as follows: X-rays, nuclear reactors, materials that are used in industry and medicine. Radiation therapy can also trigger blood cancer.
It should be noted that the dose of radiation used, for example, with computed tomography, or with x-rays at the dentist, is absolutely harmless.
4. Viruses
Causes of blood cancer may be associated with oncogenic microorganisms. They recognized the Epstein-Barr virus. It can lead to the occurrence of lymphoma. T-lymphotropic human virus (HTLV-I) causes T-cell leukemia and T-cell lymphoma. It must be emphasized that even in the case when the cause of was a virus, blood cancer is not a contagious disease.
5. Genetic diseases
Certain anomalies obtained by a person at birth, for instance, Down syndrome, greatly increase the risk of leukemia.
6. Blood diseases
Some diseases associated with the functioning of the blood and blood vessels such as myelodysplastic type syndrome also increase the risk of blood cancer.
7. Heredity
In some cases, we can talk about a hereditary factor in the blood cancer occurrence. Often the inherited disease is chronic. This means that oncology has developed quite slowly over the years. In such cases, the person must realize that he or she is at risk for the hereditary factor.
It is important to remember that the oncology of the hematopoietic system is still one of the most mysterious ailments. It often happens that those who have not had any factors associated with such risks can be ill with blood cancer. Therefore, the best way to prevent will be passing medical examinations every six months and keeping a healthy lifestyle.
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