Blood cancer

Our Sarah Cannon Cancer Network hematologic-oncologists are experienced in diagnosing and treating a wide range of blood cancers and disorders, including:

• Leukemia
  • Acute
  • Chronic
• Lymphoma
  • Hodgkin's
  • Non-Hodgkin's
• Multiple Myeloma
• Myelodysplastic syndromes
• Myeloproliferative neoplasms
  • Essential thrombocythemia
  • Myelofibrosis
  • Polycythemia vera
• Aplastic anemia
• Amyloidosis
• Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia
• Sickle cell disease
• Beta Thalassemia
• Fanconi anemia
• Neuroblastoma

Medical City Dallas Hospital offers customized treatment for blood cancer patients.

Blood cancer symptoms and diagnosis

Our team of expert doctors, nurses and coordinators use advanced technology and diagnostic tests to support your overall health. Tests used to diagnose blood cancer include:

• Bone marrow biopsies and tests
• Blood smears and tests
• Complete blood counts
• CT scans
• Flow cytometry
• Genetic testing
• Imaging tests
• Immunophenotyping
• Lumbar puncture
• Lymph node biopsies
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Molecular genetic studies
• Physical exams
• Positron emission tomography (PET)
• Ultrasounds
• X-rays

Additional tests may be requested by a doctor. Early detection of blood cancer is essential because it can lead to better treatment outcomes, a higher chance of remission and a better quality of life.

Symptoms of blood cancers can vary depending on the cancer type and stage. Some common symptoms include:

• Abdominal discomfort
• Bone or joint pain
• Bruising or easily bleeding
• Fever or chills
• Frequent infections
• Headaches
• Itchy skin or skin rash
• Loss of appetite or nausea
• Night sweats
• Persistent fatigue, weakness
• Shortness of breath
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, underarms or groin
• Unexplained weight loss

Medical City Dallas offers a variety of treatment options, including stem cell transplants and chimeric antigen receptor cells that treat leukemias and myelomas. Access to research trials is not available at our center but our sister facilities in the Sarah Cannon Cancer Network support our patients though new therapies.

Other treatments include:

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is often combined with other treatments and administered either in our center or at home. Regimens are either myeloablative or non-myeloablative and work to destroy lymphocytes that have become self-intolerant. 

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to target cancerous tissue, particularly in advanced stages and is used in conjunction with other therapies. 

Targeted therapy

This therapy targets proteins that have control over how cells grow and spread. Targeted therapy mostly comes in the form of small-molecule drugs or monoclonal antibodies.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy helps patients boost their own immune systems so that they can destroy cancer cells. The type of immunotherapy you receive depends on what stage of cancer you have.

Stem cell or bone marrow transplant

After high-dose chemotherapy, a stem cell or bone marrow transplant replaces damaged bone marrow with healthy stem cells. Medical City Dallas treats adults and children with these transplants to boost growth of healthy cells.