Blood Cancer Awareness El Paso
In the United States, September is observed as National Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout the month of September, there is a focus on raising awareness about all blood cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and myelodysplastic syndromes. Designated by the US Congress as a national observance in September 2010, Blood Cancer Awareness Month is a time for promoting blood cancer treatment advancements, patient and family support resources, and efforts to increase funding for further blood cancer research. The ultimate aim of observing Blood Cancer Awareness Month as a nation is to educate the public about blood cancers by providing information about the causes of blood cancers, symptoms and how to identify them, treatments that are currently available, and research findings regarding diagnosis and treatment.
Blood cancers, also called hematologic cancers, begin in tissue or cells where blood originates; most of these cancers start in your bone marrow where stem cells mature and develop into white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. They negatively affect the production and function of these cells in the body as abnormal, cancerous blood cells grow and prevent the blood from fighting off infections or other important functions.
The three types of blood cancer that people hear about most often are leukemia, lymphoma (Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin type), and multiple myeloma. Each of these types of blood cancer has specific symptoms and risk factors. While no effective screening exists to identify and diagnose these and other blood cancers, knowing what the symptoms and risk factors for them are can help people understand when to consult a doctor.
Blood cancers are the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Every three minutes, someone in America is diagnosed with blood cancer. Each day, over 150 people die from blood cancer. That said, approximately 1.3 million people in the US currently are in remission or are being treated for blood cancer. This statistic bears out that treatment advances for blood cancers have greatly increased survival rates among patients; this is in no small part due to an increase in blood cancer awareness and more money garnered for research from focused fundraising campaigns. Observing National Blood Cancer Awareness Month has been critical to these efforts.
Modern MD, PLLC is the health and wellness family practice of Dr. Patricia Lopez-Po, MD, serving communities in El Paso and other parts of West Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico. Dr. Lopez-Po takes a holistic approach towards health and wellness. Her office is located on the west side of El Paso, though she sometimes also makes home visits. Dr. Lopez-Po provides primary care with specialty services as needed, for the most comprehensive care possible for her patients. If you are seeking whole-patient health and wellness care, reach out any time to Dr. Lopez-Po at Modern MD. Contact her online, or call 915-288-3008 to schedule an appointment.
SOURCES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/index.htm
National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health
American Society of Hematology
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
