Early History of Cancer and Leukemia
Leukemia has fascinated, confused, and frustrated doctors since the beginning of medicine. The word "cancer" came from the Greek word karkinos and was first coined by the Greek physician Hippocrates (460-370 BC). However, this was not the first time that the disease was mentioned. Various cancers, leukemia included, were described in ancient Egyptian texts dating back to 3000 BC. The texts described the cancers as a "large, protruding mass" or "thick blood" and says about the disease, "there is no treatment." This represented the understanding of leukemia and cancer up until the Renaissance period beginning in the 15th century. During this time, scientists and doctors began to perform autopsies and closely study the human body and its diseases. In the 17th century, Rudolph Virchow, a German pathologist recorded the first extensive description of Leukemia, or "white blood" as he called it. He described the basis of the disease--an imbalance of red and white blood cells, with the white blood cells choking out the red. While the categorization of the disease continued to progress over the next few centuries, the understanding of the disease and its treatment options has continued to baffle scientists.
Leukemia in the 20th Century
The history of Leukemia in the 20th century is centered around the goal of finding a cure. During this time, little was done to help advance our understanding of the disease, however a large scale effort began to attempt to find a way to treat the disease. This effort begins in the 1940s with Dr. Sidney Farber. Farber worked at Boston Children's Hospital and specifically treated children with Leukemia. Seeing firsthand the devastation that this disease caused, Farber dedicated himself to finding a cure for the disease and raising cancer awareness. Several times, Farber thought he found a cure for the terrible disease in the form of chemical agents, now referred to as chemotherapy. However, the effects of the drugs were short lived, and his patients always relapsed. It quickly became apparent to Farber that in order to find a cure for cancer, a large scale, collaborative effort would have to be made. Through government lobbying he convinced the US government to form the National Cancer Institute which funded the research of numerous physicians and scientists and lead to extensive collaboration between members. Around this same time the discovery of X-rays and radiation provided a novel approach to the treatment of cancer. However, as noted by Farber, these treatment methods were of little use for Leukemia patients, as they attacked a localized mass of cells and Leukemia was systemic. However, it was also around this time in 1956 that the first successful human bone marrow transplant was performed by Dr. E. Donnall Thomas of Cooperstown, New York. Thomas reported that total body irradiation followed by infusion of marrow from an identical twin could result in complete remission of leukemia. These critical discoveries of chemotherapies and bone marrow transplants paved the way for the modern treatment of Leukemia (Mukherjee, 2010).
Leukemia has fascinated, confused, and frustrated doctors since the beginning of medicine. The word "cancer" came from the Greek word karkinos and was first coined by the Greek physician Hippocrates (460-370 BC). However, this was not the first time that the disease was mentioned. Various cancers, leukemia included, were described in ancient Egyptian texts dating back to 3000 BC. The texts described the cancers as a "large, protruding mass" or "thick blood" and says about the disease, "there is no treatment." This represented the understanding of leukemia and cancer up until the Renaissance period beginning in the 15th century. During this time, scientists and doctors began to perform autopsies and closely study the human body and its diseases. In the 17th century, Rudolph Virchow, a German pathologist recorded the first extensive description of Leukemia, or "white blood" as he called it. He described the basis of the disease--an imbalance of red and white blood cells, with the white blood cells choking out the red. While the categorization of the disease continued to progress over the next few centuries, the understanding of the disease and its treatment options has continued to baffle scientists.
Leukemia in the 20th Century
The history of Leukemia in the 20th century is centered around the goal of finding a cure. During this time, little was done to help advance our understanding of the disease, however a large scale effort began to attempt to find a way to treat the disease. This effort begins in the 1940s with Dr. Sidney Farber. Farber worked at Boston Children's Hospital and specifically treated children with Leukemia. Seeing firsthand the devastation that this disease caused, Farber dedicated himself to finding a cure for the disease and raising cancer awareness. Several times, Farber thought he found a cure for the terrible disease in the form of chemical agents, now referred to as chemotherapy. However, the effects of the drugs were short lived, and his patients always relapsed. It quickly became apparent to Farber that in order to find a cure for cancer, a large scale, collaborative effort would have to be made. Through government lobbying he convinced the US government to form the National Cancer Institute which funded the research of numerous physicians and scientists and lead to extensive collaboration between members. Around this same time the discovery of X-rays and radiation provided a novel approach to the treatment of cancer. However, as noted by Farber, these treatment methods were of little use for Leukemia patients, as they attacked a localized mass of cells and Leukemia was systemic. However, it was also around this time in 1956 that the first successful human bone marrow transplant was performed by Dr. E. Donnall Thomas of Cooperstown, New York. Thomas reported that total body irradiation followed by infusion of marrow from an identical twin could result in complete remission of leukemia. These critical discoveries of chemotherapies and bone marrow transplants paved the way for the modern treatment of Leukemia (Mukherjee, 2010).
Leukemia Today
Even today in the 21st century the treatment options for Leukemia are limited, and the five year survival rate for Acute Myeloid Leukemia is a bleak 25%. While treatment options and medical technologies have greatly improved, a large research effort has been launched to better under the disease.
The Disease
Leukemia is an imbalance of white and red blood cells. White blood cells, which as are responsible for our immunity, begin to replicate and divide rapidly. These cancerous white blood cells do not behave in the same manner as normal cells, and when they accumulate, it prevents the body from fighting infections, controlling bleeding, and transporting oxygen. Patients in end stages of Leukemia can experience internal hemorrhaging and organ failure due to the accumulation of neoplastic cells. In the United States alone, one person is diagnosed with Leukemia every three minutes, and in Iraq, Leukemia rates have almost tripled in the past 15 years. Symptoms of the disease include, fever or chills, persistent fatigue, weakness, frequent or severe infections, losing weight without trying, swollen lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen, easy bleeding or bruising, and recurrent nosebleeds.
The Treatment
The current standard of care for Leukemia is a combination of blood transfusion and removal of excess white blood cells, chemotherapy, and the irradiation and transplant of bone marrow. If available, stem cell transplant may also be used in treatment plans. Initially, chemotherapeutic agents are used to reduce the amount of white blood cells that are present in the blood. Once the level of white blood cells at a controlled limit, radiation is used to remove all of the patients bone marrow, and in doing so their immunity is also removed. Patients must stay in the this state of remove immunity for some time before bone marrow from a healthy donor is reintroduced into the body (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015).
Even today in the 21st century the treatment options for Leukemia are limited, and the five year survival rate for Acute Myeloid Leukemia is a bleak 25%. While treatment options and medical technologies have greatly improved, a large research effort has been launched to better under the disease.
The Disease
Leukemia is an imbalance of white and red blood cells. White blood cells, which as are responsible for our immunity, begin to replicate and divide rapidly. These cancerous white blood cells do not behave in the same manner as normal cells, and when they accumulate, it prevents the body from fighting infections, controlling bleeding, and transporting oxygen. Patients in end stages of Leukemia can experience internal hemorrhaging and organ failure due to the accumulation of neoplastic cells. In the United States alone, one person is diagnosed with Leukemia every three minutes, and in Iraq, Leukemia rates have almost tripled in the past 15 years. Symptoms of the disease include, fever or chills, persistent fatigue, weakness, frequent or severe infections, losing weight without trying, swollen lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen, easy bleeding or bruising, and recurrent nosebleeds.
The Treatment
The current standard of care for Leukemia is a combination of blood transfusion and removal of excess white blood cells, chemotherapy, and the irradiation and transplant of bone marrow. If available, stem cell transplant may also be used in treatment plans. Initially, chemotherapeutic agents are used to reduce the amount of white blood cells that are present in the blood. Once the level of white blood cells at a controlled limit, radiation is used to remove all of the patients bone marrow, and in doing so their immunity is also removed. Patients must stay in the this state of remove immunity for some time before bone marrow from a healthy donor is reintroduced into the body (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015).