Cancer patients have a number of key treatments available to counter the disease. The earlier the diagnosis, the greater the likelihood of long-term survival. One of the keys, however, is recognizing cancer symptoms before the disease spreads.
Specifically, 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 each type of treatment course for acute leukemia, keep reading.
Radiation
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 Courses
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 Therapy
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 involves 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
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 Chemotherapy
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 a serious procedure, but one that is often used in younger patients with a poor prognosis. Adult patients, under the age of 50, typically undergo stem cell transplantation treatments for leukemia if their leukemia relapses.
