Treatment For Leukemia

New discoveries and rapid advancement in leukemia treatment have made surviving leukemia more possible than it was in the past. Other alternatives for treatment include biological therapy, radiation and in rare cases, surgery. Specific diagnoses of leukemia require blood count and bone marrow biopsy. Leukemia is identified by the presence of large numbers of abnormal leukocytes in the blood and the typical leukemic cells in the bone marrow. With chronic leukemia, the patient may be unaware of the disease, and a diagnosis is often made only when the patient is examined for another reason, such as during a routine checkup or before surgery.

The decision of which treatment route to take is based on the extent and type of the disease as well as certain features of the leukemia cells. Besides, the health of the patient must also be taken into account. For instance, factors such as symptoms, age, and overall health are evaluated to determine the best treatment.

Most patients suffering from leukemia are treated with chemotherapy. Some may also be treated with radiation therapy, bone marrow transplantation or biological therapy. In few cases, surgery to remove the spleen (a surgery called splenectomy) may be part of the treatment plan. Patients must meet particular criteria to qualify for treatments described below.

Patients suffering from acute myeloid leukemia are offered an allogeneic bone marrow transplant in first remission if they have a matched sibling donor. Refractory or relapsed patients are offered an allogeneic transplant using a matched sibling or unrelated donor. Patients with no allogeneic donor are offered an autologous transplant in first remission if they have poor risk disease or in second remission. Immunotransplantation might also be an option for these patients.

Chemotherapy is given in a phase, a treatment phase followed by a recovery phase, then another treatment phase and so on. Chemotherapy kills cancer cells by stopping them from growing or multiplying. Some of the healthy cells are destroyed too, which is what causes the side effects, but normal cells are often able to repair themselves after treatment. Different kinds of drugs are used for the different types of leukemia.

Immunotherapy or biological therapy uses the body's immune system to fight cancer, using antibodies to target and destroy leukemia cells. Interferon, a drug utilized against some kinds of leukemia, is a form of biological therapy.

Surgery isn't commonly considered for sufferers of leukemia because leukemia cells are spread throughout the body making it difficult to target one specific area. Nevertheless, in certain cases surgery is done to remove the spleen. The spleen might be removed because blood cells have accumulated, causing the spleen to swell and displace other organs in the abdomen.

Radiation is therapy with high-energy rays that destroy cancer cells. At times it is used for leukemia in the central nervous system or testicles as well as for pain caused by bone destruction. Nevertheless, radiation is not the primary treatment for leukemia. Radiation therapy in high doses destroys cells or prevents them from growing and dividing.

Bone Marrow Transplant is probably the best bet for a cure in several cases of leukemia. Doctors carry out this procedure when leukemia is in remission or when the patient relapses during or after treatment. Patients are administered a bone marrow transplant so that their body can be given higher doses of chemotherapy drugs that would not be tolerated otherwise. Chemotherapy kills cancer cells but it also destroys normal cells in the bone marrow, making the bone marrow transplant necessary in order to make up for the destruction of normal cells.

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