Bone marrow cancer is a class of malignancies arising in the blood cells within the bone marrow. It is a sponge-like material located inside bones, from which stem cells give birth to red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Bone marrow cancer is often confused with bone cancer but is not the same disease.
When bone marrow cancer occurs, the cells in the bone marrow begin to grow and multiply uncontrollably. The primary forms of bone marrow malignancy include leukaemia, multiple myeloma, lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndromes, and myeloproliferative neoplasms. Depending on the type of cancer, symptoms may include discomfort, exhaustion, and unexpected weight loss.
Bone marrow cancers are often treated by a hematologist, which is a specialist physician who treats blood disorders; and an oncologist which is a specialist physician specializing in the treatment of a cancer. Some of these treatments include chemotherapy, radiations, immunotherapy, targeted therapy and stem cell transplantation.
Bone Marrow Cancer Types
There are various types of bone marrow cancer that affect different types of blood cells. Most blood cells are stem cells in the bone marrow. They then grow into adult blood cells, performing various functions in the body. White blood cells form part of the immune system and fight infections. Red blood cells transport oxygen around the body. Platelets stop bleeding by clotting the blood.
Leukemia
One of the kinds of cancer that affects white blood cells is leukemia. The bone marrow of leukemia patients develops abnormal white blood cells that do not deplete normally. As these leukemia cells multiply, they start replacing normal red and white blood cells and
Common types of leukemia include:
- Acute myeloid leukemia: This develops in immature blood cells, known as blasts, and occurs in both children and adults and has rapidly progressing symptoms.
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia affects immature blood cells, called blasts, and has an onset of symptoms that is rapid. Children and adults alike can develop this form of the disease.
- Chronic myeloid leukemia occurs most often in adults, but it affects mature blood cells and produces symptoms that are usually minor for years.
- Adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia experience symptoms that are usually of moderate intensity for years and affect mature blood cells.
Myeloma multiplex
Multiple myeloma is developed when the bone marrow produces too many plasma cells. Immature cells known as plasma cells are transported to various parts of the body to undergo development. Antibodies are proteins that are produced by some plasma cells and help the body to fight infection.
Myeloma cells are those by which your body produces way beyond the normal number of plasma cells. Tumors, myeloma cells eventually get accumulated in the bones causing it to raise risk factors for infection and resultant loss of bone over time.
The lymphoma
A form of cancer called lymphoma arises due to overproduction and expansion of lymphocyte cells. The lymphocytes make up part of the lymphatic system, which is the part of the immune system. Any portion of lymphatic tissue or a lymph node can be an origin for lymphoma that may expand to the bone marrow.
There are four types of lymphomas.
- Hodgkin Lymphoma originates in B cells.
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma starts in B or T cells.
Myeloproliferative neoplasms:
Neoplasms that are myeloproliferative
Myeloproliferative neoplasms are the type of bone marrow malignancies affecting the stem cells. They result in an overproduction of immature stem cells by the bone marrow, affecting white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet production. As the bone marrow produces more and more stem cells, these malignancies often get worse.
Myeloproliferative neoplasms include the following types: 5
- Also called essential thrombocythemia, the condition features excess platelets, which might sometimes lead to thrombi that might cause the blood.
- Myelofibrosis: abnormal fibers and blood cells that begin to fill up the marrow
- This might involve the excess in red blood cells, whereas polycythemia vera often has additional consequences that can affect levels of white and platelet counts.
Syndromes of Myelodysplastic
A group of conditions that include myelodysplastic syndromes results from the degeneration of blood cells produced by the bone marrow and its subsequent uncontrolled proliferation and division. Several diseases can cause an excess or deficiency of white blood cells, red blood cells, or platelets. These conditions may eventually lead to leukemia, which is a cancer classification.
Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of bone marrow cancer may vary depending on the type and the cells involved. Typically, patients suffering from blood or bone marrow malignancy may feel ill since their blood cells are not carrying out their normal functions.
Most bone marrow cancers may be generally manifesting with the following symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Unintended weight loss
- Pain in the bones
- Night sweats
- Prolonged cough
- swelling
The symptoms of lower counts of specific blood cells due to bone marrow cancer will vary depending on the type of cell affected.
Leukopenia, or low white blood cell count, manifests with the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Frequent infections
Anemia, or reduced count of red blood cells, is characterized by the following symptoms:
- Breathlessness
- Dizziness
- pale skin tone
Thrombocytopenia, or decreased platelet count, is characterized by the following symptoms:
- Getting bruised
- Bleeding
- Petechiae are small red dots on the skin.
- Heavy menstruation periods
- Gum bleeding
Reasons
This disorder becomes an expression of bone marrow cancer as it manifests from a change of bone marrow’s stem cells proliferating and growing uncontrollably. It then can not properly work as all other elements: white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets get pushed by those malfunctioning cells out by those aberrant cells. Mostly bone marrow cancer occurs for an undetermined cause, but different varieties do have some risk factors specific for a variety of this disease.
Factors at risk of bone marrow cancer include family history of the disease, history of exposure to radiation and a history of smoking. Among risks associated with leukemia are age over 50 years or a history of being a child, infectious history like Epstein-Barr virus, and some types of genetic disorders, like neurofibromatosis and Down syndrome.
More chances of developing multiple myeloma have someone older, assigned male at birth, having African American heritage, and obese.
American Cancer Society. risks of having multiple myeloma.
Risk Factors.
Myeloproliferative neoplasms tend to occur in both male and female genders, though an aging patient has a higher chance of having the disease. In most cases, although the individual assigned male at birth has a higher possibility of suffering from polycythemia vera and myelofibrosis, those assigned female at birth are likely to have the diagnosis of essential thrombocytopenia.
Making a diagnosis
A healthcare professional can diagnose bone marrow malignancies by various techniques. Your healthcare provider will start by taking a comprehensive medical history and physical examination. To confirm a diagnosis, however, they will utilize other diagnostic techniques.
Several blood tests will probably be ordered by your doctor and may include:
- The complete blood count (CBC) measures the concentrations of platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells.
- Markers of tumors: detects cancerous cells
- Panel for metabolism: determines the health of your kidneys, liver, and bodily fluid levels.
To come up with an accurate diagnosis, they can further use these other tests:
- Urine test: Determines the amount of protein in your urine and checks your kidneys.
- Bone marrow biopsy: Examine the bone marrow for anomalies.
- lymph nodes biopsy: determines the spread of your cancer
- scans for imaging: determines the place of the cancer and its spread rate.
Therapy
Receiving a diagnosis of cancer can be scary and alarming. Your medical team is here to provide you with the care you need to beat cancer and live with your disease. The type of cancer you have, its stage, and your overall health will all influence the details of your treatment. Still, most patients with bone marrow cancer have one of the following types of therapies:
- Chemotherapy: Systemic drugs that recognize and kill highly proliferating cancer cells.
- In radiation therapy, high-energy beams that target the cancerous growth site are used.
- Immunotherapy: boosts the way your immune system fights against cancer cells.
- Targeted therapy: keeps healthy cells intact while attacking specific cancer cell types.
- This involves bone marrow transplantation or stem cell transplantation which uses the healthy donor bone marrow from another person to replace the damaged bone marrow.
How to Prevent Cancer of the Bone Marrow
The causes of bone marrow cancer are not known what specifically induces it. Nevertheless, avoiding any modifiable risk factors, such as managing your obesity and quitting smoking, might help decrease the risk. However, the majority of known risk factors, such as your sex and genetics and a family history of cancer, are determined. Because these are unchangeable, scientists have not found methods to remove this risk completely of the disease.
