Leukemia

Treatment

Hematologists, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists are the specialists who treat leukemia. Pediatric oncologists and hematologists treat childhood leukemia. The treatment depends not only on the type but also on leukemia cells, the extent of the disease, patient's age, symptoms and general health and whether the leukemia has been treated before.

Acute leukemia needs to be treated right away and can be cured. Chronic leukemia are seldom to be cured.

Chemotherapy
Most patients with leukemia are treated with chemotherapy. It is the treatment using anti-cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells. Depending on the type of leukemia, patients may receive a single drug or a combination of two or more drugs. Most of the drugs are given by IV injection (injected into a vein) through a thin, flexible tube called catheter. One end of the tube is placed in a large vein, often in the upper chest and the drugs are injected through this. These drugs entering into the bloodstream, affect leukemia cells in most parts of the body but do not reach cells in the central nervous system because they are stopped by the blood-brain barrier. To reach leukemia cells in the central nervous system, intrathecal chemotherapy is given. This is the method of injecting drugs directly into the cerebrospinal fluid through a special type of catheter called Ommaya reservoir. The catheter is placed under the scalp and the doctor injects the anticancer drugs into it. This method avoids the discomfort of injections into the spine. Chemotherapy is given in cycles : a treatment period followed by a recovery period and then another treatment period, and so on. Depending on which drugs are given, and the patient's general health, a hospital stay may be necessary.

Some people with chronic myeloid leukemia receive a new type of treatment called targeted therapy. This treatment use drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific cancer cells without harming normal cells. It also blocks the production of leukemia cells. A monoclonal antibody is a type of targeted therapy

Side Effects : Side effects of chemotherapy depends mainly on the drugs and doses received, as well as how the drugs are given and it vary from patient to patient. When chemotherapy affects healthy cells, it can lower patients' resistance to infection, and patients may have less energy and bruise or bleed easily. Common side effects of chemotherapy include nausea, vomiting, hair loss, diarrhea, poor appetite and mouth sores. Most side effects disappear gradually during the recover periods between treatments or after treatment stops. Some drugs can affect the patient's fertility. Because targeted therapy affects only leukemia cells, it causes fewer side effects than most other anticancer drugs.

Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy alias radiotherapy uses high-energy rays to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing. The radiation comes from a large machine. Radiation therapy for leukemia can be given in two ways. For some patients, the doctor may direct the radiation to one specific area of the body where there is a collection of leukemia cells, such as the spleen, brain or testicles. Some may receive radiation that is directed to the whole body. This type of radiation therapy, called total-body irradiation, usually is given before a bone marrow transplant.

Side Effects : Radiation can cause the scalp or the skin in the treated area to become red, dry, tender, and itchy. It can cause tiredness, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Other side effects depend on the area of the body that is treated. Most side effects will be disappear after treatment but some may be last. Children (especially young ones) who receive radiation to the brain may develop problems with learning and coordination.