Blast cells

What are blast cells?

Blast cells are supposed to be those original lymphocytes or lymphoblasts or myeloblasts (granulocytes) that are immature cells. They generally are not found in the peripheral blood. But when they sometimes are traced in the peripheral blood, they are instantly recognized by their primitive nuclei (nucleoli embedded in nuclei) and distinct large size. Their presence in blood is a harbinger of acute leukemia. Special surface markers and stains are used for marking and identifying these blast You do not have access to view this node and their lineage during pathological investigations.

What is blast crisis?

Blast crisis is the last phase of chronic myeloid leukemia having very high mortality rate. It is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow starts making myeloid cells in excess like the granulocytes as well as their precursors. Due to this these blast cells get accumulated in the blood and then enter all the body parts. This whole process of myeloid cell production is divided into three ascending phases:

• Chronic phase
• Aggressive phase
• Blast crisis

When blast cells quantity in the blood goes beyond 30%, the blast crisis occurs. Patients in this phase are more vulnerable to relapsing after the You do not have access to view this node.

What are the symptoms of blast crisis?

The symptoms of blast crisis caused by excess blast You do not have access to view this node production include:

• Fast elevation in the blast cells quantity
• Regular high fever
• Fatigue
• Enhancement in the anemic condition
• Intensifying of thrombocytopenia
• Enlargement of spleen

What are the causes of excessive blast cells?

Blast You do not have access to view this node are caused by several reasons. Some of the most common ones are:

• Cancer
• Blood cancer
• Blood conditions
• Bone marrow conditions
• Flu-like conditions

What are the treatments for blast crisis?

The regular treatments associated with cancers or bone marrow conditions are chemotherapy or radiations in which the body is exposed to special light radiations so as to kill the cancerous cells in the body. One of the major drawback of this therapy is that it is not sophisticated enough to select especially the cancerous cells and kill them. Rather the radiations also kill the healthy cells due to which the immunity of body decreases manifold. Bone marrow transplantation is also one of the treatments used for treating diseases caused by excessive presence ofblast cells in the blood. Stem cell tissue culture is the latest method being evolved for treating blast crisis.