Bone Marrow Cancer Symptoms

We have heard a lot of people suffering from cancer and there are numerous cases of bone marrow cancer, but many of us are not aware of it. Bone marrow is a spongy tissue placed in the middle of the bones and it is a home to many cells called stem cells that transform and develop red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. There are two types of bone marrow, red marrow, which consists of hematopoietic tissue, and yellow marrow consists of fat cells. Half of adult bone marrow is red and the other half is yellow. The red bone marrow is responsible for the development of red and white blood cells and also the platelets.

Signs of Bone Marrow Cancer

Listed below are some of the general symptoms of bone marrow cancer:

• Persistent pain in the bones
• Anemia
• Hard lump on the bone
• Swelling, tenderness and stiffness of bones
• Difficulty in walking and moving
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness and dizziness
• Weight loss
• Low resistance to infections
• Unexplained bone fractures

Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells where plasma cells infiltrate the bone marrow and spread into the cavities of large bones in the body. In this type of cancer, the bones develop osteolytic lesions or multiple holes that makes the bones fragile which means that the bones are more prone to fractures. These osteolytic lesions or multiple holes are a result of rapidly growing myeloma cells which prevents the bone-forming cells from repairing the usual damage of bones. Multiple myeloma also secretes a substance called osteoclast-activating factor which causes bone destruction.

Some of the multiple myeloma symptoms include pain in the back, pain in the bones and ribs, weakness, frequent fevers and infections, nausea, weight loss, constipation, frequent urination and the person suffering from this type of bone marrow cancer is also more prone to fractures.

Cancer of the Red Blood Cells

It is a cancer of blood cells which is either detected in blood or bone marrow. There are different types of leukemia depending on which type of blood cells are affected, but most of the time it occurs in white blood cells. Leukemia is also classified depending on the speed at which the disease develops. The condition where it develops quickly and consists of immature cells is called acute leukemia and when it consists of more mature and abnormal cells and occurs at a relatively less speed, it is called chronic leukemia. Listed below are the four types of leukemia bone marrow cancers.

• Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
• Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
• Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
Usually, the bone marrow produces unformed cells called blasts which are further developed into white blood cells that fight various infections in the body. Whereas in case of AML, the blasts are abnormal and they do not develop into white blood cells which means that the body cannot fight infections. The leukemia cells or the abnormal cells tend to grow quickly, reducing the number of normal white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets which are essential for the body.

Acute myelogenous leukemia symptoms include fatigue, frequent infections, fever, sweating in the night, shortness of breath, frequent bleeding from the nose and gums, paleness, rashes and lesions on the skin, weight loss and some women might suffer from abnormal menstrual periods.

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
It is a cancer of white blood cells where in the body produces lymphocytes which are immature white blood cells affecting the normal condition and growth of white blood cells in the body. It blocks the production of regular marrow cells and leads to reduction in the count of red cells, white cells and platelets affecting the regular functioning.

Acute lymphocytic leukemia symptoms include pain in the joints, low platelet and low white blood cell count, fatigue, enlarged liver, enlarged spleen and lymph nodes, more prone to infections and bruises.

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
Similar to acute leukemia, chronic leukemia is also classified into chronic myelogenous leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Chronic myelogenous leukemia is caused due to the growth of abnormal cells containing a chromosome rearrangement known as Philadelphia chromosome.

Weakness, excessive sweating, fatigue and fever are some of the common symptoms of this type of leukemia. Besides these, the person would be more prone to bruising, bleeding and also might have a swollen spleen causing pressure under the lower left ribs.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
B-cell lymphocytes are produced in the bone marrow, developed in the lymph nodes and are an essential constituent of white blood cells that fight against infections. CLL affects these B-cell lymphocytes by damaging the DNA of B-cells which prevents it from producing antibodies.

Many of the signs and symptoms of chronic lymphocytic leukemia often show up in later stages and they include weakness, anemia, swollen liver, swollen lymph nodes, unusual bruising and bleeding and also frequent infections.

Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a cancer that affects the white blood cells that circulate in the blood stream and is part of the lymphatic system (a part of the immune system). Hodgkins lymphoma is the most common in this kind of cancer. Other types of lymphomas are known as non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Lymphoma symptoms include weight loss, back pain, fatigue, itchiness, shortness of breath, cyclical fever, enlarged liver and lymph nodes.

Bone marrow cancer survival rates has seen a considerable change over the past many years. Do not ignore if you notice any of these symptoms in yourself or your loved ones. There are many treatments available these days, but the important thing to remember is cancer needs to be diagnosed at very early stages to be treated.