Leukemia is a blood cancer responsible for 3.2% of new cases worldwide. While the exact cause of leukemia is unknown, there are effective treatments available. Doctors know that leukemia starts with DNA changes in blood cells.
Changes in DNA tell blood cells to grow and multiply, in which blood cell formation goes beyond control. Get the latest blood cancer treatment in Siliguri at the best cancer hospital in the region.
Leukemia - Understanding the treatment choices
The medical care for leukemia depends on the type, stage, and overall health of the patient. Leukemia treatment may include a combination of cancer therapies that aim at treating and preventing the return.
Let's understand the primary treatment options for leukemia.
Chemotherapy
To treat leukemia, chemotherapy is the most treatment. In chemo, potent drugs target and kill fast-growing and dividing blood cancer cells.
Chemo drugs can be injected into a vein or patients may receive them in the form of a pill.
In the initial phase, chemo drugs aim to destroy as many leukemia cells as possible to treat leukemia.
In consolidation or post-remission therapy, oncologists use chemotherapy to kill remaining leukemia cells that might potentially grow and multiply.
Maintenance Therapy for leukemia means ongoing chemotherapy to keep blood cancer from coming back.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is another highly effective treatment for leukemia. This cancer therapy uses X-rays/ high-energy beams to damage leukemia cells in the blood and stop them from growing abnormally.
Radiation therapy may be given to the entire body or just to a single location on your body. This cancer therapy helps the body to get ready for a bone marrow transplant.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapies in cancer treatment specifically attack blood cancer cells by interfering with molecular targets, which are vital to cancer cell survival and expansion.
Cancer specialists use Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) primarily for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Here this therapy blocks the BCR-ABL1 gene present in leukemia cells. It can be used as the first blood cancer treatment for chronic phase CML.
Monoclonal Antibodies are laboratory-made immune system proteins that target and treat leukemia. MAbs help treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Burkitt leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, etc.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy boosts your immune system, the defence mechanism in your body. This cancer therapy can effectively combat leukemia. Oncologists use medicines (immunotherapy) to allow one's body to identify and kill leukemia cells.
CAR-T Cell Therapy
T-cells are genetically modified to treat leukemia cells and infused back into the body. Chimeric antigen receptor is a specialized treatment, which may be successful in treating several types of leukemia.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials in blood cancer treatment are actually experiments to test new cancer treatment options. These may help find new ways of using current leukemia treatments.
Though clinical trials give patients access to the latest blood cancer treatment, clinical trials have both benefits and risks. Consult your doctor before you and your family decide on receiving this blood cancer treatment in Siliguri.
Effective treatment and early diagnosis can help increase the blood cancer survival rate globally. If there are ongoing symptoms, such as persistent fatigue, easy bruising or bleeding, a weakness that persists, fever or chills, tiny red spots in the skin, bone pain, recurrent nose bleeds, or swollen lymph nodes, see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
