Symptoms-Leukemia

Symptoms of Leukemia

Like all blood cells, leukemia cells travel through the body. Depending on the number of abnormal cells and where these cells collect, patients with leukemia may have a number of symptoms.

Common symptoms of leukemia:

Fevers or night sweats

Frequent infections

Feeling weak or tired

Headache

Bleeding and bruising easily (bleeding gums, purplish patches in the skin, or tiny red spots under the skin)

Pain in the bones or joints

Swelling or discomfort in the abdomen (from an enlarged spleen)

Swollen lymph nodes, especially in the neck or armpit

Weight loss

Such symptoms are not sure signs of leukemia. An infection or another problem also could cause these symptoms. Anyone with these symptoms should see a doctor as soon as possible. Only a doctor can diagnose and treat the problem.

In the early stages of chronic leukemia, the leukemia cells function almost normally. Symptoms may not appear for a long time. Doctors often find chronic leukemia during a routine checkup—before there are any symptoms. When symptoms do appear, they generally are mild at first and get worse gradually.

In acute leukemia, symptoms appear and get worse quickly. People with this disease go to their doctor because they feel sick. Other symptoms of acute leukemia are vomiting, confusion, loss of muscle control, and seizures. Leukemia cells also can collect in the testicles and cause swelling. Also, some patients develop sores in the eyes or on the skin. Leukemia also can affect the digestive tract, kidneys, lungs, or other parts of the body.

Acute lymphocytic leukemia can cause many different signs and symptoms. Most of these occur in all kinds of ALL, but some are particularly common with certain subtypes.

Patients with ALL often have several generelised symptoms. These can include weight loss, fever, and loss of appetite. Of course, these are not just symptoms of ALL and are more often caused by something other than cancer.

Most signs and symptoms of ALL result from a shortage of normal blood cells due to crowding out of normal blood cell-producing bone marrow by the leukemia cells. As a result, people do not have enough properly functioning red blood cells, white blood cells, and blood platelets.

Anemia, a shortage of red blood cells, causes shortness of breath, excessive tiredness, and weakness.

A shortage of normal white blood cells (leukopenia), and, in particular, too few mature granulocytes (neutropenia or granulocytopenia), increases the risk of infections. Although leukemia is a cancer of white blood cells and patients with leukemia may have very high white blood cell counts (leukocytosis), the abnormal leukemia cells do not protect against infection.

Thrombocytopenia (not having enough platelets needed for plugging holes in damaged blood vessels) can lead to excessive bruising, bleeding, frequent or severe nosebleeds, and bleeding from the gums.

Leukemia cells may spread outside the bone marrow, (called extramedullary spread), to the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system, or CNS), the testicles, ovaries, kidneys, or other organs. Symptoms of CNS leukemia include headache, weakness, seizures, vomiting, difficulty in maintaining balance, and blurred vision.

Some patients have bone pain or joint pain caused by the spread of leukemic cells to the surface of the bone or into the joint from the marrow cavity.

Acute lymphocytic leukemia sometimes causes the liver and spleen, located on the right and left side, respectively, of the abdomen to enlarge. Enlargement of these organs would be noticed as a fullness, or even swelling, of the belly. These organs are usually covered by the lower ribs but when enlarged, they can be felt by the doctor examining the patient.

Acute lymphocytic leukemia may spread to lymph nodes. If the affected nodes are close to the surface of the body (lymph nodes on the sides of the neck, in the groin, underarm areas, above the collarbone, etc.), a person or his or her health care provider may notice the swelling. Swelling of lymph nodes inside the chest or abdomen may also occur, but can be detected only by imaging tests such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.

The T-cell type of ALL often involves the thymus, which is a small gland located behind the sternum (breastbone) and in front of the trachea (windpipe). An enlarged thymus can press on the trachea, causing coughing, shortness of breath, or even suffocation. The superior vena cava (SVC), a large vein that carries blood from the head and arms back to the heart, passes next to the thymus. Growth of the leukemia cells may compress the SVC and prevent blood from getting back to the heart, causing the head and arms to swell. This is known as SVC syndrome.. It can also affect the brain and can be life-threatening. Patients with SVC syndrome need immediate treatment.

Symptoms of Leukemia

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