Blood cancer is a term that encompasses a group of diseases that affects blood cells, bone marrow, lymphatic system, and lymphoid tissues. Blood cancer alters the normal functioning of blood cells, including the supply of oxygen throughout the body, responsible for fighting against various infections and much more. There are various kinds of blood cancer classified based on the area being affected, which include leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, respectively.

What causes blood cancer? 

Blood cancer can be caused by various reasons, such as, 

• Genetic factors: DNA is the key that provides instructions essential for life; sometimes, due to unknown circumstances, the cells that code the DNA may mutate and evolve abnormally, leading to the development of tumor cells.
• Environmental factors: Exposure to radiation like ionizing radiation, asbestos, pesticides, benzene like chemicals can cause blood cancer
• Infections: Some viral infections like the Epstein-Barr virus, Human immunodeficiency virus, and Human T cell lymphotropic virus can be a precursor to certain blood cancers.
• Disorders of Immune System: Certain immune system disorders like hemolytic anemia, and lupus erythematosus cause abnormal immune cell responses and may trigger cancer. 

Top 8 symptoms of blood cancer

1. Fatigue: patients with blood cancer often experience weakness. It is caused mainly by low blood cell count and a lowered immune response against the mutating cells. 

2. Fever: As a result of blood cancer, the levels of immune cells are reduced, making it easy for the invading infections and pathogens, causing fever to spike

3. Night sweats: Increased and profuse night sweats occur in patients with blood cancer. It occurs as a compensatory mechanism for the increasing temperature the body experiences.

4. Swollen lymph nodes: Due to blood cancer, certain lymph nodes in the neck, groin, and armpits may get enlarged and swollen. 

5. Easy bruising: The essential factor required for clotting is platelets. Patients with blood cancers have an altered production and function of platelets, causing prolonged bleeding time and making them prone to minor cuts. 

6. Weight loss: Any type of cancer can lead to unexplained weight loss since the abnormal cell growth causes the destruction of organs and their activity

7. Frequent infections: The altered modifications in the blood cells and reduced count of defensive white blood cells make our body more prone to infections, which may recur at any time. 

8. Bone pain: This usually occurs in metastatic blood cancers where the cancers have spread beyond blood cells into bone marrows in the hip, pelvis, and ribs.

Advice for Management of symptoms

1. Follow a Healthy lifestyle

Always engage in regular physical activities like walking, swimming, yoga, aerobic activities, or gym. These activities help the patients overcome fatigue and weakness and improve strength and endurance. By maintaining an active lifestyle, sleep quality will improve and help get rid of night sweats. 

2. Proper Nutrition and Diet

It is important to follow proper diet management during cancer and its treatment. The human body loses vital nutrition, vitamins, and minerals that pave the way for malnutrition. Balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, fiber-rich foods, and foods rich in antioxidants helps to improve immunity and the ability to fight against cancer.

3. Adequate rest

Blood cancer can cause increased toil in the body and soul. It becomes vital to get maximum rest and stay relaxed. Practicing relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, yoga, frequent massage techniques, and acupuncture can help reduce the strain on the body and relieve anxiety and stress.

4. Medication-assisted Management

Certain cancer symptoms like pain, sleeping difficulties, nausea, and vomiting may require the benefit of medicines that include painkillers, NSAIDs, antidepressants, and antiemetics. Your healthcare provider may include this in your therapeutic regimen. Anti-cancer medicines like Ibrutinib that belong to bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors and many other targeted therapies are effective in reducing the burden.

5. Seek emotional support

Blood cancer can make the body fight against all the odds. It can affect the emotional ability of the individual. It is best to seek emotional support from counseling, support groups, and caregivers to overcome the emotional and psychological barriers of the disorder.

Conclusion

Management of cancer symptoms always requires a multifaceted approach that focuses on the physical and emotional aspects of an individual. The key to Management often lies within yourself; by incorporating simple habitual changes involved in diet and lifestyle, it becomes easy to manage the symptoms of cancer.