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What are the different types of treatments for leukemia?

Various modalities available for leukemia cancer treatment are aimed at eliminating the infected cancer cells in the blood stream. Leukemia treatment depends on different factors including the type of leukemia, modality adopted by the doctor, age and health profile of the patient, and the spread of disease to other organs.

At AOI, the best hospital for leukemia treatment, we offer following treatments to fight leukemia:

Chemotherapy
Biological therapy
Targeted therapy
Radiation therapy
Stem cell transplant

What is chemotherapy treatment for leukemia?

Chemotherapy for blood cancer refers to oral or intravenous administration of specific drugs to target the abnormal cancerous cells.

Generally, chemotherapy drugs target cancer cells to kill them, but the efficacy of this modality will again depend on the stage of cancer. However, in early stage cancer, chemotherapy results are usually better.

Chemotherapy drugs for leukemia

Chemotherapy for leukemia often consists of several drugs given together in a set regimen. Because each medication destroys tumor cells in different ways, a combination of drugs may make the cells more vulnerable to treatment.

Generally, oral chemotherapy drugs for leukemia works well as usually it is given in pill form or intravenously.

In some rare cases, chemotherapy drugs may also be delivered directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, which surrounds the brain and spinal cord. This procedure is designed to target cancer cells that have spread there.

Chemotherapy for leukemia side effects

Side effects of chemotherapy for leukemia vary with drug type and dosage, which may include destruction of healthy cells in bone marrow, hair, GI tract and mouth.

In leukemia treatment, chemotherapy also impacts the bone marrow’s capability to generate sufficient amount of blood cells.

Chemotherapy for leukemia costs

Cost for chemotherapy may vary depending on various factors such as type of blood cancer, grade or stage of cancer, number of chemo cycles required and the kind of drugs to be used. However, success rate of chemotherapy for leukemia is quite satisfactory and most of the time it leads to remission.

Biological therapy

What is biological therapy for leukemia?

Biological therapy for blood cancer involves usage of drugs to enable the body’s immune system to fight the cancerous cells rather than eliminating them.

Sometimes, it is also used as a combination therapy.
Different types of biological therapy drugs work in different ways. Some drugs may eliminate abnormal cells, while others may control or change how cancer cells behave. A few drugs may even strengthen the body’s immune system, control symptoms or lessen side effects of the treatment. The therapy does not work for everyone.

In general, biological therapy for blood cancer works in the following ways:

Strengthening the immune system to attack cancer cells. This goal can be achieved in several ways. For instance, chemicals that stimulate your immune system cells could be injected into the patient’s body. Or a sample of patient’s immune system cells could be trained in a lab to attack cancer cells before being reintroduced into the body.
Making it easier for immune system to recognize cancer cells. Biological therapy drugs can also target the cancer cells by turning on/off cell signals. For instance, drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors can target specific chemical receptors on cancer cells. This helps to block the signals the cancer cells send to suppress the immune system.

Different types of biological therapy for leukemia treatment include:

Cytokine treatment: Cytokines are the hormones released inside our body to strengthen the immune system. Therapists use manmade cytokines to enhance the immunity as an additional therapy.
Donor lymphocyte infusion: In this process, doctors transfer the harvested lymphocytes from the blood stream of a stem cell donor to the leukemia patient. The transfusion is done to suppress or attack infected cancer cells by inducing a strong immune reaction.
Radioimmunotherapy: Radioimmunotherapy is primarily used to cure lymphocytic leukemia and lymphoma. The therapy involves a radioactive element attached to a monoclonal antibody, which is administered through injection. There are a selective few lab produced monoclonal antibodies that are used for leukemia treatment.
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy: In this process, patient cells are extracted through apheresis and genetically modified in a laboratory to target the cancer cells.
Monoclonal antibody therapy: A monoclonal antibody is lab produced and is programmed to target the antigens such as allergens, fungi, viruses and bacteria present on the cancer cells. These antibodies modify the cell’s activity by attaching to it.
Therapeutic cancer vaccines: The therapeutic cancer vaccines are developed to suppress the cancer growth and cure leukemia. At present, no vaccine is available for leukemia treatment.

Reduced-intensity allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Reduced-intensity allogeneic transplantation, also called as ‘nonmyeloablative transplant’ or ‘mini-transplant’ is a technique that involves use of low intensity, less toxic dosage of radiation and chemotherapy than the standard regimen administered prior to standard allogeneic transplantations. This therapy is generally used for old age patients and individuals having complex organ disorder.

Targeted Therapy

What is immunotherapy treatment for leukemia?

In targeted drug therapy, specific drugs are designed to alter the proteins, genes and other cells around the cancer site, which aids cancer growth. This modality inhibits the growth of cancer cells with little damage to the healthy cells.

Leukemia infusion treatment

Radioimmunotherapy is primarily used to cure lymphocytic leukemia and lymphoma. The therapy involves a radioactive element attached to a monoclonal antibody, which is administered through injection.

Immunotherapy for blood cancer

Biological therapy or immunotherapy involves usage of drugs to enable the body’s immune system to fight the cancerous cells rather than eliminating them.

Sometimes, immunotherapy is used as combination therapy.

Immunotherapy side effects

Immunotherapy drugs may cause certain side effects but that depends on your general health profile, your type of leukemia, how advanced it is, the type of immunotherapy you are getting, and the dose.

Some common side effects of immunotherapy includes:

chills, fatigue, weakness, fever, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and low or high BP and body aches.

Why should you choose AOI for cancer treatment?

Cancer treatments offered at our world- class cancer hospitals and facilities are accredited by JCI-Joint Commission International America
A team of world’s most skilled and best oncologist for leukemia treatment in India. Our Oncologists come with vast experience of working in highly advanced cancer hospitals in the US and Europe.
Our hospitals have the latest high-end infrastructure and technology. This includes Brain Suite, PET Scan, CyberKnife, Gamma Knife, etc., that help in quick diagnosis and recovery.
Well trained nurses and other hospital staff.

Can leukemia be cured?

Many patients and their family members have a common concern: Is leukemia curable? But as mentioned above, acute type of leukemia which multiplies and progresses slowly, still has a chance to be treated without recurrence but in case of chronic disease progression, cure is difficult.

However, the latest treatment modalities such as stem cell transplantation that infuses healthy blood-forming stem cells into your body to replace damaged or diseased cells can help to manage the symptoms of leukemia as well as control its progression. Also, it offers hope for chronic leukemia patients.

Radiation Therapy

Radiotherapy is used as treatment for leukemia as it helps to decrease the tumor size and eliminate cancer cells.

Sometimes, radiations are also used with other modalities, such as surgery to increase effectiveness of therapy.

The radiation used in the leukemia treatment restricts the growth of cancer cells and gradually kills them by damaging their DNA. This treatment does not kill the cells right away; it takes a few weeks to months. One might also observe significant results post the treatment.

Younger patients show remarkable responses during the therapy but patients above 60 years hardly respond to the treatment.

At AOI, the best hospital for radiation therapy in India, we provide comprehensive care supported by technology and innovative techniques in High Precision Radiation oncology.

What are the different types of radiation therapy for leukemia?

There are two types of radiation therapy to treat leukemia. These are internal and external radiotherapy.

External radiation beam therapy
In this therapy, radiations are given through linear accelerators or Linacs, which moves around patient, throwing radiation beams externally upon the targeted area. The process requires constant monitoring. Prior to begin the procedure, the patient is subjected to simulation that measures the right angle for targeting the radiation beams. Simulation readings also help in deciding the adequate dosage amount for radiation.
Internal radiation therapy
As the name suggests, for internal radiation technique the source of radiation is to be administered internally in solid or liquid form. The liquid source technique is known as systemic therapy. The source of radiation travels via patient’s bloodstream and target the cancer cells to eliminate. The process requires close monitoring of blood count, as some patients may need blood transfusion. Radiations target the chromosomes in the cancerous cells’ DNA by throwing heavy radiations.

Radiation-induced leukemia

Any kind of exposure to ionizing radiation, from natural or manmade sources, can induce cancer, especially leukemia. Despite a clear mechanism in place, the risk levels of leukemia are debatable. As per various studies, natural radiation source is more susceptible to cancer as compared to imaging.

Radiation therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia

For chronic lymphocytic leukemia, external beam radiation therapy is the most preferred treatment and it requires careful examination of the patient and perfect radiation dosage to kill the cancerous cells.

Stem cell transplant

As the name suggests, stem cell transplant therapy is used to replace or restore the damaged bone marrow with the healthy one. Stem cell transplant is often combined with radiation or chemotherapy.

The two main types of stem cell transplants are autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplants. During autologous, stem cells are collected from the patient’s own blood. It is harvested, frozen and stored until needed. Whereas, during allogeneic stem cell transplant, stem cells are taken from a matching donor, which could be from a sibling or from someone outside the family.

Before undergoing a stem cell transplant for leukemia, a patient has to go through intensive treatment or conditioning that aids in killing as many leukemia cells as possible. This is either done through high doses of chemotherapy or, in some cases, through radiation therapy.

In the months following the transplant, patient’s blood counts are strictly monitored as they may need transfusions of red blood cells and platelets.

Generally, recovery from a stem cell transplant may take long, it may take several months or even a year to get fully recovered.

Can stem cell transplant cure leukemia?

Stem cell transplant therapy may restore the healthy bone marrow in leukemia patients. The procedure also helps stimulate fresh growth of bone marrow as well as reinstate the immune system.

What types of stem cells are used to treat leukemia?

Allogeneic stem cell transplant: This refers to the procedure during which the donor could be someone outside the family, which is confirmed by HLA (human leukocyte antigens) test to compare the tissue and blood type of both the donor and the patient.

Autologous stem cell transplant: This involves harvesting and storing of stem cells from the patient’s blood. After a therapy, radiation or chemotherapy, the patient is injected back with the same stem cells.

Leukemia stem cell transplant success rate

Patients who are in first remission generally show good progress in terms of survival rate. The success rate of the therapy depends on how well the bone marrow has matched with that of the patient.

Will a bone marrow transplant cure leukemia?

Though goal of bone marrow transplant is to cure blood cancer for as long as possible, still if it’s going to cure leukemia depends on a couple of factors, such as type and stage of cancer, patient’s age and general health profile, type of stem cell transplant and most of all, patient’s own immunity.

Leukemia bone marrow transplant life expectancy?

As mentioned, life expectancy depends on a couple of factors such as type, sub-type and stage of blood cancer, patient’s age and general health profile, type of stem cell transplant and patient’s immunity and will power.

Stem cell transplant side effects

Stem cell transplant treatment can have several side effects. While some of these can be prevented, most can be treated and a few can be life-threatening as well. These side effects include:

Pain in throat and mouth
Graft failure
Vomiting and Nausea
Interstitial pneumonitis
Transfusions and Bleeding
Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD)
Graft-versus-host disease

How long does it take to recover from a stem cell transplant for leukemia?

Generally, recovery from a stem cell transplant may vary as it usually takes about 3 months to almost a year for the immune system to completely recover from the transplant.

The first year after transplant is crucial as during this time, the patient is at risk for infection. So one has to take a couple of precautions. Besides, the transplant team will regularly check blood cell counts to see how well the patient’s immune system is working.

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