Leukemia Treatment Protocol

Per the Mayo Clinic, leukemia is a form of cancer that affects the tissues responsible for forming blood. Most cases originate in your white blood cells. White blood cells are supposed to grow and multiply as your body requires them but when you have leukemia, your bone marrow makes excessive amounts of abnormal ones. Leukemia is categorized into four main types and your treatment will depend on the kind of leukemia as well as other factors.

Types of Leukemia

• Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is the most prevalent form of leukemia. Both children and adults can suffer from AML.

  Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) accounts for 75 percent of childhood leukemias.

  Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is commonly found in adults and rarely affects children. You are more likely to have CLL if you are Jewish and of Russian or Eastern European descent.

  Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) primarily strikes adults. It is linked to a chromosome abnormality called the Philadelphia chromosome.

General Treatment Information

• Leukemia treatment is complicated; unlike other cancers, there is no solid tumor to remove or treat. Your doctor will determine treatment based on the type of leukemia, your age and general health and whether or not the cancer has spread. It is important to follow your doctor's instructions and notify him of any medications or supplements you want to use during your treatment; certain ones can interfere with conventional therapies.

Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy

• Chemotherapy consists of one or more chemical substances that destroy cancer cells. This is the most common treatment for leukemia. The particular types of drugs you receive depend on the form of leukemia. You will take them orally or intravenously.

  Biological therapy, also known as immunotherapy, employs treatments that strengthen your immune system's response to leukemia.

Type Specific Treatments

• If you have CML, your first line of therapy is usually Gleevec, a kinase inhibitor. It interferes with tyrosine kinase, a protein that causes the formation of leukemia cells. It is very effective in the early stages of CML. If you cannot tolerate or become resistant to Gleevec, two other kinase inhibitors are available to you--Sprycel and Tasigna.

  Promyelocytic leukemia is a subtype of AML that has two specific treatments. Arsenic trioxide and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) kill leukemia cells with a certain gene mutation. Your doctor might use these drugs on their own or in conjunction with chemotherapy, the main treatment for most forms of leukemia.

Radiation

• Radiation therapy uses X-rays or other powerful rays to destroy leukemia cells. You might get treatment in one particular area where there is a concentration of cancerous cells or on your whole body.

Transplant Procedures

• You can receive certain transplants that replace cancerous bone marrow with leukemia-free tissue. In a bone marrow transplant, you will get very high doses of chemotherapy or radiation that will destroy your bone marrow. The next step is replacing your marrow with that of a compatible donor or your own healthy tissue. You would only have healthy tissue if your cancer was once in remission and you decided to save healthy marrow in the event the cancer returned and you would need a transplant.

  A stem cell transplant accomplishes the same end goal of healthy bone marrow but it uses stem cells that travel through the bloodstream. You can use your own healthy cells or ones from a donor. This method is preferable; it involves less recovery time and a decreased risk of infection.