Leukemia Treatment Options: Chemotherapy, Radiation & Bone Marrow Transplant

The goal of treatment is remission, that is, a return to a somewhat more normal white blood cell (WBC) count. These are the most common therapies.

Instructions

• 1

  Be treated with an aggressive course of chemotherapy. Therapy (including maintenance) usually continues for two to five years.

• 2

  Ask about radiation therapy. This requires receiving doses of X-ray for several weeks to several months. Radiation therapy is generally used in addition to chemotherapy.

• 3

  Receive a bone marrow transplant. This procedure requires that all the leukemia bone marrow be killed and replaced with healthy marrow. This is a complex treatment and should be done only by doctors who have extensive bone marrow transplant experience and only at state-of-the-art cancer centers. Bone marrow transplants have been shown to improve long-term survival rates of some leukemia patients.

• 4

  Prolong survival with active immunotherapy. This procedure is in its infancy. Contact the Leukemia Society of America for further information.

• 5

  Receive a blood and/or platelet transfusion for the anemia and/or other blood disorders caused by leukemia.

• 6

  Take antibiotics to counteract infections resulting from the overproduction of abnormal WBCs.