Leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic
When Hazel Phillips went to see her GP about an ear infection, she suspected something more serious was wrong because of her other symptoms. A blood test confirmed her worst fears: she had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Many years later, she's now in a successful, enjoyable job. She sometimes has anxiety but tries to put the experience behind her.
"When I was 11 years old I remember having an ear infection that lasted about four weeks. I also remember feeling really tired and faint when I was running in the playground, and seeing lines around everyone.
"One evening I came home with a really bad rash on my ankles, which we thought might be Rubeola . I was also getting out of breath walking up stairs.
"My mum took me to the doctor after school one evening to talk about the ear infection. My GP asked me some questions, and I told her about the other things that had been happening. She looked at me and said, 'We need to take you to hospital'.
"I had to go straight to Canterbury hospital that night to have a blood test. About two hours after the test they said, 'You've got leukaemia and you need to go to the Royal Marsden Hospital'. I was put in an ambulance and taken to the Marsden that night. I was petrified.
"I was in hospital for three months. I had quite a lot of chemotherapy but was lucky there weren't too many adverse effects and I responded well to it.
"Some of my friends came to see me in hospital, which I found difficult. A lot of the time I couldn't stand up straight because of the lumbar punctures I'd had, and I'd put on weight because of the steroids.
"I then had about six weeks out of hospital, followed by another two weeks of very intensive chemotherapy. For the next year I was on chemotherapy.
"I've been in remission ever since, but it's not until five years after the treatment that you're told, 'OK, you only need to come back once a year now'.
"For the first few months I wasn't allowed to be in contact with many people as my immune system was low and I could get infections really easily. But I had great support from my family, and the charity Make-A-Wish Foundation gave me a pony when it was all over, which was lovely.
"Afterwards, I was absolutely fine, but three years ago I started to feel the effects of it emotionally. I suffer from anxiety quite a lot and I'm having counselling at the moment.
"I'm now working as an assistant marketing manager. I recently got a promotion and I'm really enjoying it."
Case study provided by Cancer Research UK .
Acute leukaemia is a type of cancer which affects certain cells present in the blood white blood cells, red blood cells and thrombocytes. All of the cells present in the blood are produced by the blood marrow or bones, which is found inside the bone.
A common test for this condition is a blood workup of peripheral blood, which can lead doctors to believe this diagnosis is possible. Following this, a blood marrow biopsy may be necessary. This test involves extracting material from the inside of the bone, and subsequently analyzing it.
Treatment is usually carried out in three stages known as induction, consolidation and maintenance. The patient must become hospitalized. The patient then receives blood transfusions, and extra care is taken against infections. Following this, chemotherapy may be applicable (using cytostatic preparations), which aims to eliminate the sick cells.
Being immunocompromised (having a weakened immune system) is a possible complication for some patients with acute leukaemia. Patients suffering from acute leukaemia face a high risk of infection. This may be due to the patient's immune system becoming compromised, or due to the suppression of the immune system by the medication usually administered to treat leukaemia.
When Hazel Phillips went to see her GP about an ear infection, she suspected something more serious was wrong because of her other symptoms. A blood test confirmed her worst fears: she had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.