Leukemia is a serious cancer disease that affects hematopoietic and lymphatic systems, as well as bone marrow. The implementation of the most innovative developments in the leukemia treatment in Israeli clinics has allowed to increase the effectiveness of therapy from 27% to 85% within the last 25 years. This means that every blood cancer patient has a very good chance of being completely cured of leukemia in Israel.
Risk factors
This type of cancer affects mostly children 3-4 years old and elderly people over 65 years old. However, other age groups are also susceptible to leukemia. Scientists have not yet agreed on the main causes of leukemia. However, a link between leukemia and some characteristic risk factors has been established:
- genetic and hematologic diseases;
- certain viruses;
- mutations in DNA;
- exposure to radiation;
- chemical carcinogens.
Symptoms of leukemia (leukemia)
- Heavy bleeding even from small wounds.
- A sharp decline in immunity, fever and frequent infections.
- Enlarged lymph nodes.
- Pain in the joints and bones.
- Rapid, gratuitous weight loss.
- Rapid fatigue and general physical weakness.
Diagnosis
After reviewing medical history and physical examination, including examining size of the lymph nodes, palpation of liver and spleen, if leukemia is suspected, a doctor will refer a patient for laboratory blood tests.
- cytomorphological – for determining the spread of leukemia and its stage;
- immunocytochemistry – for determining the type of leukemia;
- cytogenetic – for determining the response of cancer cells to therapy in order to choose a treatment method.
Also, additional tests are performed to make a diagnosis of leukemia.
- Computer, magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography (CT, MRI and PET).
- Ultrasound.
- Lymph node biopsy.
- Lumbar puncture.
Leukemia (leukemia) treatment in Israel
Clinics in Israel treat almost all types of leukemia.
Acute:
- Undifferentiated;
- lymphoblastic;
- megakaryoblastic;
- myelomonoblastic;
- monoblastic;
- myeloblastic;
- erythromyeloblastic.
Chronic:
- paraproteinemic leukemias;
- myelocytic;
- neutrophilic;
- myelosclerosis;
- erythremia;
- eosinophilic;
- basophilic;
- monocytic;
- myelomonocytic;
- lympholeukemia;
- essential thrombocythemia;
- Histiocytosis X.
Among the traditional methods of leukemia treatment, Israeli oncologists use bone marrow transplantation after high-dose chemotherapy, which drastically reduces the number of hematopoietic cells. Bone marrow transplantation is performed after a relapse of leukemia or if its likelihood is very high. Precise radiation therapy may also be administered.
Immunotherapy is one of the most promising developments, which is actively used in leukemia treatment protocols in clinics in Israel. The therapy is based on stimulating the T-cells’ own immune response to fight leukemia. Immunotherapy is the treatment of leukemia with genetically modified CAR-T cells, which have a special gene embedded in their genome that helps to accurately identify cancer cells and destroy them. Such gene-immune therapy helps even patients with severe leukemia. CAR-T therapy is up to 75% effective.
Israel is one of the few countries where innovative and relatively safe methods of leukemia treatment with CAR-T cells are used. In addition, all conditions have been created here for comfortable and effective recovery after the course of blood cancer treatment.