Fatigue, anemia, and enlarged belly are "chronic myelogenous leukemia"? Doctors reveal 5 major signs: Men aged 40 to 60 should be careful
Is a lump in the abdomen a warning sign of blood cancer? Doctors reveal 5 major signs of leukemia
If you feel a “hard” feeling in your stomach, don’t ignore it. Is it a sign of “chronic myeloid leukemia” (blood cancer)? Initial symptoms of chronic myelogenous leukemia include: fatigue, fever, anemia, weight loss, and spleen enlargement. Half of the patients may be asymptomatic. The diagnosis is often made when white blood cells are elevated and the spleen is abnormally enlarged during a health checkup. However, the number of cases has increased by 43% in the past ten years, and it has become the ninth most common cancer in men within five years. Taiwanese people should be more vigilant.
Dr. Li Qicheng from the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital said that “blood cancer” refers to the massive proliferation of immature white blood cells, which leads to a reduction in the number of normal blood cells and a decline in function to form blood cancer, also known as leukemia. There are four main types: acute lymphoid, chronic lymphatic, acute myeloid, and chronic myeloid. In recent years, chronic myelogenous leukemia has become a more obvious threat to the health of Taiwanese people. The number of people in 2019 increased by 1.5 times compared with 105.
Dr. Li Qicheng explained that chronic myelogenous leukemia is caused by a genetic mutation that causes chromosome translocation to form the “Philadelphia chromosome”. It usually occurs in men aged 40 to 60 years old. It may have symptoms such as fatigue, fever, anemia, weight loss, and spleen enlargement. Because the symptoms are non-specific It is difficult to detect, and more than half of patients tend to ignore it and delay treatment. Research shows that chronic myelogenous leukemia that is treated for more than 6 months increases the risk of death by 10% in 5 years.
Is chronic myelogenous leukemia divided into three stages and indiscriminate discontinuation of medication likely to turn into acute blood cancer?
Dr. Hsin-an Hou, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, said that chronic myelogenous leukemia can be divided into three stages: chronic phase, accelerated phase, and acute phase. Treatments are mainly based on targeted drugs, and most of them can achieve rapid and good control. However, once the drug is stopped, the condition may turn into an acute blood cancer, requiring bone marrow transplantation, chemotherapy and other methods to control the condition.
Dr. Hou Xin’an pointed out that the goal of treatment for chronic myelogenous leukemia is to reduce cancer genes in the body, and it is best to achieve a “complete molecular response”, that is, almost no cancer genes can be detected in the blood, and the patient’s life can be almost as normal as that of ordinary people. different. However, due to the remarkable effectiveness of treatment, some patients neglect regular treatment or stop taking medication on their own, causing their condition to worsen in an unsatisfactory direction.
Chronic myelogenous leukemia can be stably controlled by achieving molecular response targets
Dr. Hou Xin’an reminded that chronic myelogenous leukemia is no longer a terminal disease. As long as it is treated actively, patients can coexist with the disease for a long time, just like controlling chronic diseases. However, the key to treatment effectiveness lies in whether the patient “takes medication regularly” to achieve the molecular response target. Research shows that patients who cannot achieve the molecular response target may have a 20% increase in 5-year mortality.
Dr. Hou Xin’an reminded that compared with other cancers, the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia can be well controlled through medication. Nowadays, chronic myelogenous leukemia has progressed to the second and even third generation of targeted therapies, and the side effects are relatively mild. Patients are urged to actively cooperate with hematology oncologists and properly receive treatment and medication adjustments in order to obtain a better prognosis and quality of life.
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