Do You Know About Blood Cancers?

From the Physician’s Desk … Weekly Blog!

Don’t forget to visit … http://www.LegacyEducators.org and click on “Cancer Information”

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SEPTEMBER is National Blood Cancer Awareness Month

Whenever cancer is discussed, automatically, solid tumors are thought of – lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, etc., “How can you get cancer of the blood? Is that even possible?” That’s the question I am most commonly asked. The answer is yes!

Blood cancers affect the production and function of your blood cells. Most of these cancers start in your bone marrow where blood is produced. Stem cells in your bone marrow mature and develop into three types of blood cells:

• Red blood cells
• White blood cells, or
• Platelets

In most blood cancers, the normal blood cell development process is hampered by uncontrolled growth of an abnormal type of blood cell, any of the cells in the diagram above. These abnormal blood cells, or cancerous cells, prevent your blood from performing many of its functions, like fighting off infections or preventing serious bleeding.

How common are these types of cancers? According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society an estimated 1,185,053 people are living with, or are in remission from, leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, or another form of blood cancer, with an estimated 156,420 new cases expected to be diagnosed in 2015.

Leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other blood cancers will kill an estimated 55,350 people in the United States this year alone. The most common types are:

• Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Leukemia
  • AML – Acute Myeloid Leukemia
  • CML – Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
  • Childhood ALL – Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
  • Adult ALL – Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
  • CLL – Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
• Multiple Myeloma
• Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Please see videos below for more information.

Basics of Blood Cancer

Signs, Symptoms & Treatment of Blood Cancers

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Remember …

Ipsa Scientia Potestas est    ———  Knowledge itself is power!

Don’t forget to visit my website … www.LegacyEducators.org 

Your Family Friendly Doc … Dr McGann!  

See you next week…

 

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Blood…

From the Physician’s Desk … Weekly Blog!

Don’t forget to visit … www.LegacyEducators.org and click on “Cancer Information”

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Life is in the blood.

So we are taught. Blood:

– If it is too low – we fatigue (get tired) easily (~anemia).

– If the body is making too many blood cells, that can also lead to another disease process (such as Polycythemia).

– If too much blood is lost, due to trauma or other processes, we can ultimately die, if not transfused quickly (given additional blood from another person).

– We gather blood is very important… but why?

The movies parade the life sustenance of blood through vampires and human desire for immortality. Blood is also the sole key for salvation,  the forgiveness of sins and eternal life  through Jesus’ crucifixion, which is recognized during this Easter Season. ( Thank you Jesus!)

But, what do you know about blood? Really, think about it…

The blood normally takes up about 7-8% of human body weight, which accounts for about 4.5 to 6 liters. Of this amount,  ~50% is made up of plasma (watery liquid) which contains blood cells, carbon dioxide, glucose (sugar), hormones and proteins.

TYPES OF BLOOD CELLS

Blood cells are produced in the bone marrow. Bone marrow consists of fat, blood, and special cells (stem cells) that turn into the various kinds of blood cells. The main areas of bone marrow involved in the formation of blood cells are in the vertebrae, ribs, sternum, skull and hips.

• Red blood cells– also known as RBCs or erythrocytes, are the most abundant cells, and contain hemoglobin (Hb or Hgb). Hemoglobin is a protein which contains iron; it transports oxygen from the lungs to body tissues and cells.  Each RBC has a life span of about 4 months. The body continuously replaces the ones that die.
• White blood cells(leukocytes) – these are the cells of our immune system; they defend the body against infections and foreign materials. White blood cells will also fight abnormal cells, such as cancer
• Platelets(thrombocytes) – are involved in the clotting (coagulation) of blood. When we bleed the platelets clump together to help form a clot, such as a scab from a skin wound

WHAT BLOOD GROUP ARE YOU? You should know! This is VERY important should (heaven forbids) you are in need of a blood transfusion (getting someone else’s blood)

Humans can have 4 main blood groups, either RhD positive or negative:

• Group A – RhD negative or positive
• Group B – RhD negative or positive
• Group AB – RhD negative or positive
• Group O – RhD negative or positive

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Remember …

Ipsa Scientia Potestas est    ———  Knowledge itself is power!

Don’t forget to visit my website … www.LegacyEducators.org 

Your Family Friendly Doc … Dr McGann!  

See you next week…

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