Learn how a stem cell transplant presents a promising leukemia treatment option in this article.
9 Leukemia Treatment Options That Can Save Lives
1. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is one of the most common and widely prescribed leukemia treatment options. The procedure uses chemicals to kill leukemia cells. The patient may receive a single drug or a combination of drugs to kill abnormal cells, depending on the type of leukemia they have.
2. Stem Cell Transplant
Stem cell transplant is gaining much interest (and ground) in treating major diseases such as leukemia, because of its potential to repair, restore, and replace damaged cells. In the case of leukemia, the transplant replaces the diseased bone marrow with a new population of healthy cells. This is performed by letting the patient receive an infusion of blood-forming stem cells to rebuild the affected bone marrow.
3. Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy involves the use of X-rays and other high-energy beams to kill leukemia cells. The radiation is directed at precise points of the patient’s body with high concentrations of damaged cells, or to the patient’s whole body itself. This procedure can be used to prepare for a stem cell therapy.
4. Targeted Therapy
This treatment utilizes drugs to attack specific vulnerabilities of the cancer cells. A common drug physicians prescribe is imatinib. This drug ceases the protein activity in leukemia cells of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, helping control the disease.
5. Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy helps improve the natural defenses of the body to fight against leukemia cells. Monoclonal antibody is an example of immunotherapy. It is administered through an IV infusion that binds to the cancer cells, helping the immune system eliminate the abnormal cells, or eventually eradicating them.
6. Watchful Waiting
Watchful waiting is used for chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatment (CLL treatment), specifically for those who present no symptoms. It involves a healthcare team that observes and studies the patient’s condition closely first, before providing any course of leukemia treatment. The patient will have to undergo several tests to see if the condition is progressing. A therapy will only be prescribed if the patient develops symptoms of CLL, or is already in the cancer stages.
7. Supportive Therapy
Supportive therapy plays an important part in the process of treating leukemia. It is given to treat the disease itself and the complications that go with it, such as low blood cell counts, bleeding, or infection, which often occur during the treatment. This therapy can be in the form of antifungals, antivirals, or antibiotics if the complication involves an infection.
8. Surgery
In acute lymphocytic leukemia treatment (ALL treatment), surgery plays a limited but essential role. Its primary function is to allow catheter inserts in the patient’s body to make chemotherapy easier. The central venous catheter is inserted into a large vein, usually in the chest area, and is left there during the treatment. This gives access for IV drugs and for blood sample extraction until the course of treatment is completed in a few months.
9. CAR T Cell Treatment
The chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell leukemia treatment uses the patient’s own normal T lymphocytes to attack leukemia cells. The lymphocytes are re-engineered in a lab and are re-introduced into the bloodstream of the patient. Because this is still a new leukemia treatment for ALL, further research is still ongoing to determine if it can also be useful for other types of leukemia.
To know more about stem cell therapy, check this video by BioInformant Worldwide, LLC:
Leukemia has resulted in the loss of many loved ones over the years. These leukemia treatment options have proven their effectiveness to slow down the condition, if not cure it completely, giving hope to many patients and their families. Among these treatments for leukemia, it is evident that stem cell transplant contributes a promising solution to fighting this disease.
If you found this blog valuable, subscribe to BioInformant’s stem cell industry updates.
What other leukemia treatment options do you know? Share them in the comments section.
Up Next: Cost Of Stem Cell Therapy And Why It’s So Expensive