Critical Bone Marrow Cancer: Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment!
The signs of bone marrow cancer depend on the type. Your oncologist can inform you about your specific diagnosis and symptoms and what to expect regarding treatment.
Marrow is a spongy material in your bones. Deep within the marrow are the stem cells that give rise to red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), or platelets.
Bone marrow cancer is when cells in the bone marrow grow abnormally or faster than usual. Leukemia starting in the bone marrow results in either bone marrow cancer or blood cancer. Bone cancer and bone marrow cancer are different things.
Different cancers may spread to your bones and even into your bone marrow, but they do not fall under this category of diseases.
Read on to explore more about types of bone marrow cancers, their diagnosis, and what you should look for.
Signs of Bone Marrow Cancer
Symptoms will be contingent on what type of cancer one has.
Multiple myeloma
The most general kind of bone marrow cancer is numerous myelomas. Here are some signs and symptoms:
- Anemia (weakness and fatigue that results from lack of red blood cells)
- Leukopenia (infections due to the low number of white blood cells)
- Thrombocytopenia (bleeding and bruising due to low platelet levels)
- Frequent urination
- Extreme thirst
- Dehydration
- Abdominal pain.
- Loss of appetite
- Drowsiness
- Confusion is caused by hypercalcemia, which is high calcium levels in the blood.
- Bone pain or weak bones.
- Kidney damage or kidney failure.
- Peripheral neuropathy refers to tingling because of damaged nerves.
Leukaemia.
WBCs are usually involved in leukemia. Some signs and symptoms of leukemia include:
- Fever and chills,
- Weakness and fatigue,
- Frequent or severe infections,
- Unexplained weight loss,
- Swollen lymph nodes,
- Enlarged liver or spleen,
- Bruising or bleeding easily, e.g., frequent nosebleeds,
- Petechiae, i.e., tiny red dots on the skin,
- Excessive sweating –
- Night sweats –
- Bone pain –
Lymphoma
Lymphoma may be seen in the lymph nodes area or bone marrow. Some signs and symptoms of lymphoma include:
- Fever and chills,
- Low energy – Unexplained weight loss –
- Swollen lymph nodes –
- Swelling in neck, underarm, arm, leg, groin –
- Night sweats –
- Nerve pain, numbness, tingling –
- A feeling as if there was a fullness inside the stomach –
- Pain in the Chest or Lower Back
- Rash or Itchiness
Types of Blood Cancer
The three main categories of bone marrow cancer are:
Multiple Myeloma:
These cells, a type of white blood cell called plasma cells, produce antibodies that protect the body from infection.
Tumors may form when there are too many plasma cells, weakening bones and increasing susceptibility to infections.
Leukemia:
In this condition, the body makes abnormal blood cells that don’t die when they should. As they multiply, they crowd out normal WBCs, RBCs, and platelets, interfering with their functions.
Symptoms can advance very rapidly since acute leukemia involves immature blood cells, known as blasts. Chronic leukemia is caused by more mature blood cells. Chronic leukemia often presents with mild symptoms initially, so you may have had it for years without knowing.
There are several types of leukemia, such as:
- Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), which affects adults and children
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which also affects adults and children
- Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), which is mainly found in adults
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), which commonly affects older people
Find out more about acute versus chronic leukemias here.
Lymphoma
When lymphocytes or cells are found in them, they lead to tumors, making it difficult for the immune system to operate.
There are two main groups of lymphomas.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma, also called Hodgkin’s disease, starts with particular B cells. The other one, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, begins in B or T cells. There are even many subtypes.
Causes of bone marrow cancer
The causes of bone marrow cancer remain unclear. Contributing factors may include:
- Exposure to harmful chemicals such as solvents, fuels, engine exhausts, some cleaning agents, or pesticides
- Atomic radiation exposure
- An impaired immune system, such as a plasma disorder
- Genetic conditions that predispose one to the risk of bone marrow cancers or having a family history of these diseases.
- Previous treatment using chemotherapy or radiotherapy
- Tobacco smoke (smoking)
- Some viruses, including HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B& C virus infection, HTLV-1 (human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
- Obesity
Diagnosis of bone marrow cancer
If you have any symptoms suggestive of the possible presence of bone marrow cancer, then expect your doctor to go through not only your medical history but also carry out a complete physical examination.
In diagnostic tests, blood may be sampled for complete blood count (CBC) and full metabolic profile, as well as tumor markers. There are urine tests to show quantities of protein or verify kidney activities; marrow biopsy, in addition to enlarged lymph node biopsy, can reveal malignant cells. Finally, imaging techniques like CT scans, MRIs, PET scans, and X-rays are used to look for the presence of tumors.
Biopsy results will confirm the bone marrow cancer diagnosis and give the specific type of cancer. Imaging tests can show how far the disease has spread in the body and the organs affected.
Treatments for Bone Marrow Cancer
Treatment options for bone marrow cancer are individualized depending on the person. The choice depends on several factors, including what type it is, how advanced it is (stage), and if there are any other health conditions.
Bone marrow cancer may be treated with:
- Chemotherapy: This systemic treatment aims to find and destroy any malignant cells in your body. Your doctor will prescribe either a drug or a combination that corresponds to your type for bone marrow diseases.
- Radiation treatment: Radiation treatment involves employing high-energy beams to kill cancerous cells, reduce tumor size, and alleviate pain. How does radiation therapy compare to chemotherapy?
- Treatment with living things: This type of treatment enables your immune system to destroy cancer cells.
- Targeted therapy drugs: What are targeted therapies? Targeted therapeutic agents fight against different types of malignant cellular structures in a specific way. On the other hand, unlike chemo, they do not damage healthy cells.
- Transplantation: Bone marrow transplantation involves replacing damaged bone marrow with healthy marrow from a donor. It may also involve high-dose chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and it is also called a stem cell transplant.
If you want another way of treating this illness, you may choose to participate in a clinical trial. In most cases, clinical trials are carried out to test new treatments for diseases that the general public has not yet approved; they have strict eligibility requirements. Your doctor can give you more information about trials that suit you.
Life perspective on bone marrow cancer
Relative survival statistics reveal the percentage of people diagnosed with cancer who survived compared to those who did not have that particular cancer. However, when examining survival rates, they are different from one person to another because there are variations among them.
Therefore, the figures presented here only reflect the survival of those diagnosed years ago. Because treatment advances quickly, we may have higher survival rates than these numbers suggest.
Some of the bone marrow cancers are more aggressive than the rest. As a rule, the earlier cancer is detected by your doctor, the better your chances of surviving it. Prospects rely on unique characteristics such as your overall health status, age, and response to therapy.
Your physician can provide further information about what to expect.
The overall picture for multiple myeloma
It is not curable but can be managed. This means improved quality of life through treatment.
Here are the five years relative survival rates for multiple myeloma from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program data trusted Source in 2011-2017:
| Stage of Multiple Myeloma Relative | 5-year Survival Rates from 2011 to 2017 |
| Local stage | 77.5% |
| Distant stage (cancer has metastasized) | 54.5% |
The overall picture of leukemia
Some types of leukemia can be cured. For instance, More than 90 percent of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia live at least five years, according to the American Cancer Society-.
According to SEER dataTrusted Source from 2011 to 2017, the 5-year relative survival rate for leukemia was 65 percent. Between 2010 and 2019, an annual average of 1.9% reduced the death rate.
Outlook, generally speaking, for lymphoma.
Hodgkin’s disease can almost always be treated successfully. Hodgkin’s disease in adults or children is usually curable if diagnosed early.
The five-year relative survival rates for individuals with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, according to SEER data from 2011 through 2017, are as follows:
| Stage of Hodgkin’s lymphoma | 5-year relative survival rate (from 2011 to 2017) |
| Stage I | 92.2% |
| Stage II | 94.3% |
| Stage III | 85.5% |
| Stage IV | 78.5% |
| Unknown stage | 83.5% |
From the SEER data trusted Source between 2011 and 2017, this is the information concerning five-year relative survival rates for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma:
| Stage of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma | 5-Year Relative Survival Rate (from 2011 to 2017) |
| Stage I | 84.3% |
| Stage II | 77.1% |
| Stage III | 71.1% |
| Stage IV | 63.7% |
| Unknown stage | 75.1% |
This is the main point of my talk.
Once you’ve been diagnosed with bone marrow cancer, you’ll likely want to know what your next steps should be:
- With your oncologist, you should discuss several things.
- Specific cancer types and stage
- Your treatment objectives
- Which tests will assess the progress of treatment?
- How to manage one’s symptoms plus seek help.
- Enrolling in a clinical trial
- Diagnosis-based prognosis and general health
Don’t hesitate to ask if you don’t understand. They will help you grasp your diagnosis and treatment options. Open communication is key, allowing you to choose the best treatment plan.
