Haematology
Haematology - Peter Mac Cancer Centre
| Aplastic Anaemia, Auto Immune Diseases, Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas, Leukaemias (acute and chronic) and Multiple Myeloma |
| Aplastic anaemia |
| This is a rare disorder in which the bone marrow fails to make enough blood cells. The bone marrow is the soft, inner part of bones where the three types of blood cells are made: |
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| Aplastic anaemia can be inherited or acquired. You can develop acquired aplastic anaemia from exposure to chemicals or viruses. It is much more common than the inherited type. Aplastic anaemia is not a type of cancer but may be associated with certain cancers (especially those affecting the bone marrow, such as leukaemia) or cancer treatments. A small number of patients with aplastic anaemia may develop leukaemia. |
| Leukaemia |
| This is cancer of blood–forming cells. Leukaemia usually causes large numbers of white blood cells to be made. These abnormal cells usually can’t carry out the normal functions of white blood cells. They crowd the bone marrow (the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells develop) and spill into the blood. Thes abnormal cells may then spread into organs such as the liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys. Sometimes, they may also spread into the fluid around the brain and spinal cord. There are four main types of leukaemia: |
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| Lymphoma |
| This is a name for cancers of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is a network of tubes around the body that drain fluid (called lymph) from tissues and empties it back in to the bloodstream. When you have lymphoma, large numbers of abnormal lymphocytes (cells) are made. These abnormal lymphocytes replace some of your normal lymphocytes. The lymph nodes also become swollen, forming lumps (tumours). There are two main types of lymphoma: non-hodgkins lymphoma and hodgkins lymphoma. Some differences are: |
| hodgkins tumours have an abnormal cell called a Reed-Sterberg cell the two types of lymphoma spread differently and are treated differently. |
| There are different types of non-hodgkins lymphoma. Indolent lymphomas grow slowly; the most common type is follicular lymphoma. Aggressive lymphomas grow quickly; the most common type is diffuse large cell lymphoma. |
| Multiple myeloma |
| This is cancer of the plasma cells (a type of blood cell) in bone marrow. When a person has multiple myeloma, too many plasma cells are made. This causes overcrowding in the bone marrow, which prevents adequate numbers of normal blood cells forming. Multiple myeloma spreads from the bone marrow into the bone. This can result in lytic lesions (deposits in the bone) which can cause the bone to become thin, weak and more likely to break (osteoporosis). The breakdown of the bone can cause an increase in the level of calcium in the blood (hypocalcaemia). It can also affect the kidneys so that they cannot filter and clean the blood properly. |
| For more information on auto-immune and lymphomas and other haematology cancer types and service, go to Haematology Service. |
Useful Links |
| Australian Leukemia Foundation >> |
| Multiple Myeloma [Better Health Channel: Fact Sheet] >> |
| Lymphoma: Factsheet [Better Health Channel] >> |
| Leukaemia: Factsheet [Better Health Channel] >> |
