Blood Diseases

Blood is the life-maintaining fluid that circulates through the body's heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries. It carries away waste matter and carbon dioxide, and brings nourishment, electrolytes, hormones, vitamins, antibodies, heat, and oxygen to the tissues.
Because the functions of blood are many and complex, there are many disorders that require clinical care by a physician or other healthcare professional. These conditions include benign (non-cancerous) disorders, as well as cancers that occur in blood.

A blood disease is a disease which affects the blood. Many blood diseases are congenital, the result of inherited genetic disorders. Others may be acquired, typically in response to some sort of stress in the body. Blood diseases or blood disorders as they are sometimes called are distinct from blood-borne diseases, diseases which are carried in the blood. One of the key differences between a blood disease and a blood-borne disease is that blood diseases are not contagious
There are four types of blood disease. Coagulopathies are disorders which concern bleeding and clotting, such as hemophilia. Anemias concern the lack of hemoglobin, a substance in red blood cells which is vitally necessary for oxygen transport. Hematological malignancies like leukemia are cancers which affect the blood and bone marrow, while hemoglobinopathies are blood diseases which have to do with the structure of red blood cells. Sickle cell anemia is a classic example of a hemoglobinopathy.

In the case of a blood disease that is caused by genetics, the treatment for the disease is usually focused on managing the symptoms to keep the patient comfortable and help him or her lead a normal life. In hemophilia, for example, the patient is provided with clotting factors so that the blood clots normally. These diseases cannot be cured, but they can often be managed very effectively. With the use of gene therapy in the future, it may be possible to address the underlying cause of such disorders.

Blood diseases with external causes such as disease leading to anemia can be treated by addressing the cause, which also clears up the disease. In the case of blood malignancies, the blood may be treated with chemotherapy and radiation to kill the malignant cells, with more extreme procedures like marrow transplants and blood infusions being used in particularly aggressive cases.

Many blood diseases are identified early, because the symptoms can be very debilitating for the patient. In the case of genetic diseases, people who know that their children are at risk may request testing shortly after birth to see if the genetic disorder is present, and some parents use genetic testing in assisted reproduction to select embryos which are free of the genetic disorder. In other instances, people go to the doctor for symptoms like fatigue, pale gums, excessive bleeding or clotting, joint pain, and so forth, and the blood disease is diagnosed with the assistance of medical tests.





Blood disease breakthroughs begin here

Many of the most significant advances in the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma and other blood diseases began here at the Hutchinson Center. These accomplishments pave the way for the future of cancer care.

Mini-transplants deliver big results for more patients
We have developed a milder blood stem-cell transplant that relies on the power of donor immune cells to fight cancer and eliminates the need for painful chemotherapy and radiation. The mini-transplant typically involves no hospitalization and is extremely successful for treating older patients with blood cancers who are unable to tolerate chemotherapy and radiation. At the Hutchinson Center, we're testing the procedure's effectiveness in children as well as young women who wish to preserve their fertility.

Harnessing the immune system to fight cancer
Our Nobel Prize-winning work on bone-marrow transplantation revealed the remarkable cancer-fighting power of the immune system. Today, we lead a revolutionary new field called immunotherapy that yields powerful cancer treatments with far fewer side effects than conventional drugs, radiation or surgery. This innovative approach uses antibodies called T-cells that deliver chemotherapy and radiation directly to cancer cells. It also includes cutting-edge vaccines to stimulate the immune system to fight cancer relapse.

Preventing relapse and predicting prognosis
We were the first to develop a molecular test to detect cancer recurrence that is sensitive enough to find one blood-cancer cell among a million normal cells — an accomplishment that saves lives. This test allows doctors to quickly prescribe new therapy at the first hint of possible relapse. We're developing similar tests that can predict a patient's response to treatment so that doctors can customize therapy and ensure the best chances for survival.

Cord-blood transplants extend lifesaving options to more patients
About a third of all blood-cancer patients who could benefit from a transplant are unable to find a compatible donor, a number that is much higher for patients with rare tissue types or who are of mixed ethnicity. We're pioneering new transplants based on umbilical-cord blood, which does not need to be as stringently matched to a patient's tissue type as other sources of blood stem cells.

Quality of life counts
We house the world's leading long-term follow-up program for blood-cancer patients, which provides outstanding ongoing medical and psychosocial support for the unique needs of transplant survivors. The program's research has yielded major reductions in complications following treatment and helps survivors adjust to life after cancer therapy.
The future is brighter with your help

Every day brings us closer to new discoveries that will benefit more blood-cancer patients like Steve Ross—and private donations are essential to our progress.