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Leukemia Medicine

While the reported incidence of leukemia has not changed much since the 1950s, more people are surviving longer thanks mainly to advances in chemotherapy. Childhood leukemia (3 out of 4 cases in children is ALL), for example, represents one of the most dramatic success stories of cancer treatment. The five-year survival rate for children with ALL has risen to about 85% today. For acute leukemia, the immediate goal of treatment is remission. The patient undergoes chemotherapy in a hospital and stays in a private room to reduce the chance of infection. Since acute leukemia patients have extremely low counts of healthy blood cells, they are given blood and platelet transfusions to help prevent or stop bleeding. They receive antibiotics to prevent or treat infection. Medications to control treatment-related side effects are given as well. People with acute leukemia are likely to attain remission when chemotherapy is used as the primary treatment. To keep the disease under control, they will then receive consolidation chemotherapy for 1-4 months to get rid of any remaining malignant cells. Patients with ALL will receive intermittent treatment usually for up to two years. After obtaining a complete remission, some patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) may require an allogeneic stem cell transplant. This requires a willing donor with compatible tissue type and genetic characteristics preferably a family member. Other donor sources could include a matched unrelated donor or umbilical blood.

Last Updated on: Jul 06, 2024

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