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One includes chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the usage of drugs that clear the cancerous cells. It prevents the cancer cells from rapidly multiplying by directly attacking them. Chemotherapy destroys all the white blood cells to rid the cancer. Side affects such as hair loss may occur due to killing the functions of healthy cells. The new white blood cells however, made by the bone marrow will be healthy. These drugs can be taken as a pill, through intravenous therapy, or with intrathecal chemotherapy. Pills may not be the number one choice due to the irritation in the digestive system caused by some drugs. Some patients may suffer from vomiting or could forget to take their medication. Intravenous therapy feed chemotherapy drugs into a patient’s veins through tubes, also called IV lines. Intrathecal chemotherapy inserts the drugs into either the fluid surrounding the spinal cord or enclosing the brain. The majority of people go through three rounds of chemotherapy. The first round, “induction therapy”, attacks the cancer. When the battle in won, the patient is then stated to be in remission. The job of the second round, “consolidation treatment”, is to attempt to prevent leukemia from returning. If chance of return is detected, the person is in “maintenance therapy” and is to continue chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy is a treatment where high-energy rays are aimed at cancer cells. Unlike chemotherapy, there is a smaller chance of harming healthy cells, although nearby healthy cells may be damaged. These powerful rays stop the growing and replicating of infected cells by injuring them. “Total body irradiation” is radiation therapy used on the entire body. It is normally used for patients about to undergo bone marrow transplants. The radiation restrains the patient’s immune system in case of immunologic rejection of the transplant.

Bone marrow transplant is another treatment used. Firstly, the patient’s own bone marrow is killed using much chemotherapy and total body irradiation. This destroys the leukemic cells. The damaged bone marrow is then replaced with those of a donor. Risks include immunologic rejection. This is when the immune system attacks the donor’s cells because it is unfamiliar with it. Removing the defensive lymphocyte cells from the donor’s bone marrow cells can prevent this.

Biological therapy is a therapy that is used to strengthen our immune system thus giving power to fight back the cancerous cell. It can both help with treating and help control side effects from other treatments like chemotherapy, which simply attacks the cell. It simply slows down the process of the growth, making it much easier for our bodies to fight back cancer cells and most importantly, it keeps the cancerous cells in an area, in other words, it keeps the cancerous cells from spreading throughout your body. Side effects may include chills, fever and loss of strength, because a lot of energy and immunity is taken away to fight back the cancerous cells.

Targeted therapy is a type of therapy that affects with cancerous cells’ growth, instead of trying to slow down the reproduction, it simply interferes with its rapid growth by eating away the proteins that are needed to grow at a certain rate. Doctors and surgeons prefer this method because it dramatically decreases the damage done to the normal cells and body, compared to chemotherapy and others. This method is very commonly used to Leukemia and other sorts of tumor or unnatural growth. Another name would be immune targeted therapy because some targeted therapy are antibodies that are perfectly safe to use with our immune system.

Surgery - In rare cases of leukemia, the spleen has to be removed, for it is destroy red blood cells platelets, this process is called splenectomy. Placing a catheter into your chest, one of the large veins can inject drugs and other nutrients needed by the body. It is also used to take blood samples to keep track of your progress, or even to have blood transfusion.

In conclusion, there are many treatments for leukemia, but some may not fully cure a patient. One can be in remission for years but this deadly cancer may return again.

picture from Medicine World

http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/4-2009/is-that-chemotherapy-working.html

accessed Apr 29, 09