A woman from Worcestershire, UK Kate Stallard was just 32 when she was given a devastating news about her health. According to Daily Mail, she had separated from her husband in 2016 and was adjusting to a single life when tragedy struck. She had been suffering from constant fatigue and headaches since her separation, which she dismissed as stress from her impending divorce. One night, she collapsed in the middle of the night after an unusually heavy menstrual bleeding. After undergoing medical tests, she was diagnosed with promyelocytic leukaemia, a cancer of the white blood cells. And that’s when she was told if she didn’t start treatment right away, she’d die in 48 hours.

Kate was told that the cancer had already weakened her immune system to such a great extent that she had already developed sepsis. She was immediately given three rounds of chemotherapy after which she went into remission. But cancer came back, affecting her central nervous system this time. Another 17 weeks of chemotherapy later, she has now beaten cancer and is now doing her bit to promote awareness about leukaemia.

However, she has one major regret. Since Kate was made to undergo chemotherapy immediately, she didn’t have the chance to freeze her eggs and the chemo has left her infertile. She rues the fact that she’ll never be able to bear children.

What is Promyelocytic Leukaemia?

Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia (APL) is a cancer of the white blood cells. Since the disease spreads rapidly in a short period, treatment should be sought immediately. Although a life-threatening condition, APL has high cure rates in adults if the diagnosis is prompt and the treatment is started on time.

APL is relatively rare and comprises about seven to eight percent of adult acute myeloid leukaemia cases. It is seen usually in middle-aged people with a median age of 47. Rarely does APL occur in younger people below the age of 20. The disease is seen more in men than in women. The disease has a very high rate of mortality if treatment is not given on time.

Symptoms of APL

Low platelet count is one of the biggest symptoms of APRL. Other symptoms, which include bruises, small red dots on the skin, gum bleeding, blood in urine and excessive menstrual bleeding, develop due to the low platelet count. In addition to this, cancer cells also release substances that cause excessive bleeding. Since there are fewer red blood cells in the body, people with APL develop fatigue, have pale skin and heal slower from injuries. Joint pain, loss of appetite and weight loss are other concomitant symptoms of the disease.

The mainstay of APL is All-Trans Retinoic Acid or ATRA, known by its brand name Vesanoid®. In addition to this, supportive therapy is given in the management of some of the symptoms of APL like bleeding.

Life After APL

Kate, who spoke to Daily Mail, narrated how her divorce drained her emotionally. After her separation, she tried keeping fit by going to a gym, but her energy levels were always low, something she attributed to her stress at that time. She also experienced throbbing headaches during this period. But she knew something wasn’t alright when she started her periods and the flow was unusually heavy. Kate told DM: "I'd been panicking, realising something was very wrong, but I still never thought it could be cancer. Being diagnosed was absolutely terrifying. My world fell apart. After the night I went to hospital, I didn't leave for six weeks. Doctors told me if I hadn't started treatment right away, I would have only had a couple of days left to live."

Kate who has been in remission since August 2017 cautions readers to not dismiss any symptom. “If you're experiencing anything at all that doesn't feel right – breathlessness, unexplained bruising, night sweats, bleeding or persistent infections – don't be afraid to be open and honest with your doctor, and push for a blood test,” she says. Here's everything you need to know about APL.

(References: Cancer, Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute (APL, APML) NIH Acute promyelocytic leukemia)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 14, 2018 01:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).