Once a patient is diagnosed with a blood cancer, his or her healthcare team will specially design a treatment plan for them based on the characteristics of the cancer as well as the age and overall wellness of the patient. The treatment of leukemia or lymphoma may include:
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation Therapy
- Stem Cell or Marrow Transplantation
- Immunotherapy or Biological Therapy
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
These treatment types may be given individually, or in combination with each other to achieve the best outcome for the patient.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of powerful drugs or chemicals to kill cancer cells. These drugs may be taken by mouth, or injected into a vein, tissue, or directly into a tumor site. It may be given while you are staying in the hospital, or in an outpatient clinic.
Chemotherapy is often the treatment of choice for blood cancers, or any time cancer is present in different parts of the body. These "anti- cancer" drugs all interfere with the growth and multiplication of cancer cells.
In many cases, combinations of these drugs are administered for the best success. After a "round" of chemotherapy is administered, you may have a recovery period to allow your body to rest. Then, another round of medication is administered. Depending on the type of cancer and how it responds to the chemotherapy, the total course of this type of treatment may be months.
The goals of chemotherapy may be:
- To cure cancer
- To prevent cancer from spreading
- To slow the growth of cancer
- To kill cancer cells that may have travelled to other parts of the body
- To relieve symptoms
As with any type of drug therapy, each patient will experience different side effects from their chemotherapy.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation may be used in the treatment of blood cancers to destroy cells and prevent the disease from progressing. It is usually used in combination with another treatment type. In the case of leukemia and lymphoma treatment, external beam radiation is the therapy used.
External radiation treatment is very much like having an X-ray and is completely painless. You will be asked to lie still for a few minutes while the radiation is being delivered. Depending on the type, size and location of the cancer, a course of treatment may be several days a week for several months.
Side effects will be different for each person, and mostly depend on the area of the body being treated, and the length of treatment.
Stem Cell or Marrow Transplantation
Success in treating leukemia and lymphoma increases the more chemotherapy that is given. However, once the bone marrow has been exposed to very high doses of chemotherapy or radiation, its ability to make platelets, white cells and red cells is severely damaged. Stem cell or marrow transplantation helps to restore normal blood production.
There are two main types of stem cell transplants, autologous and allogeneic. Autologous transplants use previously stored stem cells from the patient's own body. When the patient is in "remission" or showing no signs of disease, the cells are collected from the patient's blood or marrow. The cells may then be treated with chemotherapy to kill any leukemia or lymphoma cells that might still be present. After the patient has completed their therapy, the cells will then be given back to them to help their body resume blood production.
Allogeneic transplants follow the same principles, but they use stem cells or marrow from a donor. The donor may be a brother or sister with the same tissue type as the patient, or a matched volunteer donor from the National Marrow Donor Program.
Immunotherapy or Biological Therapy
Immunotherapy is a relatively new concept in the treatment of blood cancers. In some types of immunotherapy, antibodies or immune cells that can target and destroy specific cancer cells are created in the lab and administered to patients. In other cases, the therapy works to stimulate the patient's own immunity to recognize and attack cancer cells. Although usually given in combination with other forms of treatment, it may also be given to maintain a remission, or by itself.
Some types of immunotherapy used to treat leukemia and lymphoma include:
- Interferons and other Cytokines
- Monoclonal Antibodies
- Cancer Vaccines
- Donor lymphocyte infusion
- Reduced -intensity allogeneic stem cell transplant
As with other types of cancer therapy, side effects of immunotherapy vary from person to person and will depend on the type of treatment, how it is administered, and what other therapies are given at the same time.
