Leukemia in our area now seems to have become a disease that is no longer so rare. A consequence, the experts explain, of the general aging of the population. According to the Airc, the Italian association for cancer research, there are about 17.5 cases of leukemia per 100,000 men and 10.5 cases among women.
Professor Matteo Della Porta, head of the Leukemia and myelodysplasia section at Humanitas, let’s start with the basics, can you explain to us what this dreaded disease consists of?
It’s a bone marrow disease. In more scientific terms it means that the stem cell becomes ill, which is responsible for the production of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Three very important products because, respectively, they defend our body, carry petrol to nourish our cells and repair bleeding. If the stem cell gets sick, production slows down or worse, it stops. Which makes us extremely weak, sometimes so much so that our lives are in danger.