HEALTHY LIFESTYLE BEST MEDICINE FOR CHRONIC LEUKEMIA

Question: My dad was recently diagnosed with leukemia. He said I shouldn’t worry since it is “chronic leukemia.” How can it already be considered chronic when he was just diagnosed –- and why should that make me worry any less? Can you explain the difference between regular and chronic leukemia?

Answer: Most likely your father was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). CLL is called “chronic” from the beginning because this form of leukemia progresses very slowly over a longer span of time. In that sense, CLL is less severe than acute leukemia, which grows and spreads much more rapidly.

CLL is relatively rare, with about 15,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States every year. Although CLL can occur at any age, it usually affects older adults. The disease is more common in men, in Caucasians, and in people over the age of 50. A family history can predispose a person to CLL, as can exposure to some chemicals, including benzene, as well as some solvents and herbicides. People who work in construction, with cars or at petroleum refineries may have an increased risk for CLL.

CLL is the result of a change in the DNA of the cells that produce blood. No one knows why this change occurs in the first place, and it has become a topic of intensive biomedical research. The change affects lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell important for immune defense. It renders lymphocytes unable to fight infections as usual. It also sparks the production of excessive numbers of these ineffective lymphocytes, which crowd out the healthy white blood cells and make it difficult for them to do their job.

Physicians suspect CLL when a person complains of fatigue, fever, night sweats, weight loss, frequent infections and enlarged, painless lymph nodes. When your family physician hears these symptoms together, he or she will most likely order a battery of tests, including a complete blood count (CBC). If the CBC shows a higher-than-normal number of lymphocytes, your doctor may then order a bone marrow biopsy. This test takes blood-producing cells from inside the pelvic bone or sternum, to see how many abnormal lymphocyte-producing cells are present compared to healthy cells. Sometimes doctors also order a CT scan of the body, which helps to determine the severity of the illness. If the CLL is an early stage, your father’s doctor will probably want to monitor the disease for now. Medical interventions for CLL are more effective when the disease has reached intermediate or advanced stages. If the disease progresses far enough, a range of therapies may be recommended, but many people diagnosed with early stage CLL never need any treatment.

With CLL, it’s more important to make healthy choices that prevent infections, such as eating well, exercising and getting plenty of sleep. If your father smokes, urge him to seek help to quit. Of course, he should also avoid infections by regular and thorough hand washing and by staying away from sick people whenever possible.