What is leukaemia, the condition that ousted Syrian President’s Bashar al-Assad’s wife Asma is suffering from? – Firstpost

Asma al-Assad, wife of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is reportedly battling leukaemia.

According to The Telegraph report, she only has a 50 per cent of survival.

The former first lady, who was born in Britain, is receiving treatment in Moscow and has been isolated to reduce the risk of infection.

Here’s all we know about it.

What do we know about Asma’s battle with leukaemia?

Asma had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive cancer of the bone marrow and the blood.

The report claims that the then-first lady has previously battled
breast cancer in 2019. After a year of treatment, she had declared herself cancer-free.

As per The Telegraph, her leukaemia is thought to have returned following a period of remission.

Asma is being isolated in order to prevent infection.

Born to Syrian parents in London in 1975, the 49-year-old holds dual British and Syrian citizenship.

In the face of rapid rebel advances, she is believed to have flown to Moscow for treatment before the Kremlin convinced her husband to leave.

She has been under the care of her father, an established cardiologist on Harley Street, for the last six months, initially in the United Arab Emirates and now in Moscow.

According to the latest reports, she has also filed for
divorce from Bashar al-Assad as she is “dissatisfied” with her life in Moscow and seeks to get treated in London.

However, the Kremlin has
refuted the claims, saying, “No they do not correspond to reality.”

Moreover, British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, has said Asma is
not welcome to return to the UK.

“I’ve seen mentioned in the last few days Asma Assad, potentially someone with UK citizenship that might attempt to come into our country, and I want to confirmed that she’s a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK,” he told the Commons following the fall of the al-Assad regime.

What is leukaemia?

Leukaemia is a cancer of the blood, defined by the rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells.

The bone marrow, which produces the majority of the body’s blood, is where this excessive growth occurs.

Typically, leukaemia cells are immature white blood cells that are still forming.

leukaemia usually does not develop into a mass (tumor) that appears on imaging tests like X-rays or CT scans, in contrast to other cancers.

What are different types of leukaemia?

Leukaemia has four primary forms and multiple subgroups. While some are more prevalent in adults, others are more common in children.

By the rate at which the disease progresses:

Acute leukaemia advances swiftly as the leukaemia cells divide quickly. Within weeks of the leukaemia cells developing, a person with this form of cancer will experience sickness. Therapy must be started immediately since it poses a serious risk to life. The most prevalent type of cancer in children is acute leukemia.

Chronic leukaemia cells frequently exhibit both immature and mature blood cell characteristics. Though not to the same degree as their typical counterparts, some cells mature to the point where they perform as the cells they were intended to be. In contrast to acute leukaemia, the disease usually progresses more slowly. It could be years before you notice any signs if you have chronic leukaemia. Adults are more likely than children to experience this.

By cell type:

Myeloid cells are the source of myelogenous or myeloid leukaemia. Red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are all produced by normal myeloid cells.

Lymphoid cells give rise to lymphocytic leukaemia. Your body’s immune system relies heavily on white blood cells, which are produced from normal lymphoid cells.

How common is it?

Leukaemia is the sixth most common cancer in India, accounting for 4.83 per cent of all cancers from 1990 to 2019. In 2022, about 70,000 deaths due to blood cancer were reported in the country.

The condition is also relatively common worldwide, accounting for 3.2 per cent of all new cases and 3.9 per cent of all cancer deaths. In 2022, there were 487,294 new cases reported globally.

Leukaemia can affect anyone, but its more common among people who are aged 65 to 74, assigned male at birth, and Caucasian or white.

What are its symptoms?

Symptoms depend in part on the type of leukaemia one person has.

Some common signs and symptoms include fatigue, tiring easily, fever or night sweats, frequent infections, shortness of breath, pale skin, unexplained weight loss, bone or joint pain, swollen lymph nodes in neck, underarm, groin or stomach, bruising and bleeding easily.

How is it diagnosed and treated?

Some diagnostic exams and tests may include routine blood work, blood cell examination, bone marrow biopsy, and lumbar puncture (spinal tap).

Treatments can also depend on the type of leukaemia one has. Common options often including a combination of chemotherapy immunotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, stem cell or bone marrow transplant and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.

With inputs from agencies