Notifications
Clear all
Blood Cancer
2
Posts
2
Users
0
Reactions
157
Views
Mar 26, 2024 2:28 pm
How does blood cancer affect bone marrow? |
1 Reply
Mar 26, 2024 4:28 pm
Blood cancer affects the bone marrow, which is the spongy tissue found inside bones responsible for producing blood cells. Here's how blood cancer impacts the bone marrow:
- Overproduction of Cancerous Cells: In blood cancer, abnormal cells start to grow out of control in the bone marrow. These cancerous cells crowd out healthy blood-forming cells, preventing them from functioning properly.
- Decreased Production of Healthy Cells: As cancer cells multiply, they take up space in the bone marrow, reducing the production of healthy blood cells. This can lead to low levels of red blood cells (anemia), white blood cells (leukopenia), and platelets (thrombocytopenia).
- Infiltration of Cancer Cells: In some cases, cancerous cells can infiltrate the bone marrow and replace the normal bone marrow cells. This disrupts the bone marrow's ability to produce blood cells and can lead to complications such as bone pain and fractures.
- Bone Marrow Biopsy: To diagnose blood cancer and assess its impact on the bone marrow, doctors may perform a bone marrow biopsy. During this procedure, a small sample of bone marrow is removed and examined under a microscope to look for cancer cells and assess the overall health of the bone marrow.
- Treatment: Treatment for blood cancer often targets the bone marrow to destroy cancerous cells and restore normal blood cell production. Treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and stem cell transplantation may be used to achieve these goals.
Overall, blood cancer disrupts the normal functioning of the bone marrow, leading to decreased production of healthy blood cells and potentially serious complications. Managing blood cancer often involves treatments aimed at restoring the bone marrow's ability to produce healthy blood cells and controlling the progression of the disease.