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[T1296]Treatment For Acute Leukemia

by Groshan Fabiola, Gro

When first diagnosed with this type of leukemia, induction chemotherapy is the first step towards remission. Many of the leukemia patients actually succeed, but there are cases when their condition does not get any better. All leukemia patients will also go through a second treatment phase to try preventing relapse. This second step is more based on the risk factors of the leukemia patient. As I have said before, although chemotherapy can be very successful in almost all leukemia cases, there are patients whose condition will not improve. This is the main reason why, your doctor should also talk to you about the possibility of having a transplant.

Almost 90 percent of all patients under 60 that use chemotherapy as a leukemia treatment will see an improvement in their condition, reaching remission. However, transplant is sometimes the first choice of some leukemia patients. Although this may not be the case for you, talking about the possibility of having a transplant is good. This allows you to have a more flexible treatment and also a quicker transplant, if necessary. In most leukemia cases, if not all, it is best that you be prepared for this option as well. In order to do that, there are some steps you have to take:
- first, acute myelogenous leukemia patients must see a doctor specialized in transplant and discuss with him/ her the risk factors; the leukemia patients also has to undertake a few tests;
- second, you should talk to all your family members that are potential donors and tell them to get tested, either when you are, or soon after;
- together with your doctor, you should then see the list with all other donors and see if there might be a match for you;
- if you are one of those unfortunate leukemia patients that find no suitable donor, then you should definitely talk to your doctor about an autologous transplant;

There are patients who should under any circumstances, discuss transplant in their leukemia case. These are people that will not be able to tolerate transplant. Older leukemia patients or people who suffer from other medical conditions are those that can not go through a transplant procedure.

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 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 the different types of treatments used to treat acute leukemia, read on.

Radiation

Radiation therapy is used for two purposes. The first is to actively treat and kill leukemia cancer cells in the spinal fluid and the brain. The second way in which radiation therapy is used is as a prevention method - essentially to prevent the cancer from returning to different parts of the body after chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy Courses

Chemotherapy is the primary treatment used to address leukemia. There are three major stages of chemotherapy for leukemia patients and these are induction, consolidation and maintenance. Essentially, induction is the phase intended to kill the majority of cancer cells. Consolidation is designed to kill any remaining cells, and maintenance is a low dose phase designed to prevent recurrence of the leukemia.

Remission Induction Therapy

Patients who are diagnosed with AML (acute myelogenous leukemia) will typically undergo remission induction treatments which involve cytrabine and an anthracycline. Because remission induction is so intensive, it's often undergone on an in-patient basis.

Typically, a course of remission induction will only last between 5 and 7 days. However, because most of the body's healthy bone marrow cells have been destroyed over the course of the treatment, the patient must endure a lengthy hospital stay following treatment.

Patients diagnosed with ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) will typically undergo remission induction treatments which involve anthracycline, prednisone and vincristine. Generally, bone marrow damage is less significant, and ALL patients can expect shorter hospital stays.

Consolidation Chemotherapy

After the initial remission induction, the patient will undergo what is called consolidation therapy. This is designed to destroy any remaining cancer cells and therefore prevent a recurrence.

Maintenance Therapy

Patients with ALL might have to undergo ongoing maintenance therapy. Essentially, it is a course of oral medications that can typically be done on an out-patient basis.

Central Nervous System Prophylaxis

Some ALL patients may receive methotrexate, a drug used to treat leukemia, through a spinal tap. This is done to prevent ALL from recurring in either the spinal fluid or the brain.

Transplantation of Stem Cells

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.

Leukemia is a deadly disease requiring both aggressive and persistent treatment. Fortunately there are several options from which the medical profession attempt to counter it.

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Both Groshan Fabiola & Trevor Price are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Groshan Fabiola has sinced written about articles on various topics from Woman Menopause, Medical Condition and Health. For more resources on different related issues like