Leukemia Treatment Overview

Luekemia Treatment Methods

Treatment for leukemia varies greatly depending on the type of leukemia and stage of the disease. Many times, leukemia is treated with one or more types of treatment.

Leukemia Treatment Methods

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs that either kill cancer cells or preventing the cells from dividing. Chemotherapy can be given in a variety of ways, with IV infusion and pill being more common. The type of chemotherapy given depends on the stage and type of lung cancer.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is the use of certain types of energy, radiation is used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. This energy can be waves or particles like protons, electrons, x-rays and gamma rays.

Biologic Therapy

Biologic therapy is a treatment that uses the patient's immune system to fight cancer. Substances made by the body or made in a laboratory are used to boost, direct, or restore the body's natural defenses against cancer. This type of cancer treatment is also called biotherapy or immunotherapy.

Surgery

Surgical removal of the spleen is also a treatment option for chronic leukemia. The spleen collects leukemia cells and they accumulate, allowing the spleen to enlarge. An enlarged spleen can cause many complications.

Bone Marrow Transplant

A bone marrow transplant is procedure to replace bone marrow that has been destroyed by treatment with high doses of anticancer drugs or radiation. Transplantation may be autologous (an individual's own marrow saved before treatment), allogeneic (marrow donated by someone else), or syngeneic (marrow donated by an identical twin).

_{Source: MD Anderson Cancer Center. Leukemia Treatment Information
National Cancer Institute. Leukemia Treatment PDQ}