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Cancer Information Tips :: Treatments for Leukemia
Treatments for Leukemia: Common Treatments for Acute Leukemia
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There are three common treatments for leukemia patients – chemotherapy courses, radiation therapy and stem cell transplantation.
Leukemia is a type of cancer that begins in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow. From there, the disease quickly moves into the blood, from where it can spread to other parts of the body.
It typically chooses the liver, lymph nodes, spleen, spinal cord, brain and even the skin. Acute leukemia means the disease develops quickly and can be fatal within a few months.
To learn more about each type of treatment course for acute leukemia , keep reading.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation treatment is used to treat leukemia cells in the brain and spinal fluid and, in some patients (particularly those with acute lymphoblastic leukemia), to prevent the leukemia from spreading back into these places after chemotherapy treatment.
Chemotherapy
The main treatments for leukemia are chemotherapies. Phases of chemotherapy include induction – where the treatment is directed at killing most of the leukemia cells; consolidation – the stage when a different type of chemotherapy is given to kill off any remaining leukemia cells; and maintenance, the phase where low doses are administered to acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients to prevent recurrence.
Remission Induction
In acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), remission induction usually involves treatment with two chemotherapy drugs – cytrabine and an anthracycline drug like daunorubicin. This intensive form of therapy typically takes place in the hospital.
The treatment usually lasts just one week, but additional hospital time is often needed for support as most of the normal, healthy bone marrow cells are destroyed or weakened along with the leukemia cells.
For acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the treatment is a combination of anthracycline and vincristine and prednisone. This combination reduces the amount of bone marrow damage and patients can generally expect shorter hospital stays.
Consolidation Therapy
Consolidation therapy is given after remission induction as a way to destroy any remaining leukemia cells and prevent a future relapse.
Maintenance Therapy
Maintenance therapy is only used on patients with ALL. The therapy is a combination of oral methotrexate and mercaptopurine along with any other necessary drugs.
Central Nervous System Prophylaxis
Because ALL can come back in the spinal fluid or brain, some patients are treated with methotrexate, which is administered through a spinal tap or, in some cases, radiation therapy to the brain.
Stem Cell Transplantation
Stem cell transplantation is sometimes used in younger patients after remission induction, particularly if they have a poor prognosis. It's also part of standard treatments for leukemia patients under 50 who have seen their leukemia relapse.
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CancerInfoTips.com :: Treatments for Leukemia