Leukemia
(Blood Cancers · Blood Disorders)
In this condition factsheet:
Diagnosing Leukemia
Blood and bone marrow are sampled to check the types and numbers of blood cells present. High levels of immature white blood cells (and low red blood cell and platelet counts) indicate acute leukemia.
Special tests such as cytogenetic analysis and flow cytometry can help identify the abnormal cells. Knowing the specific type of leukemia helps the doctor determine the appropriate treatment.
Treating and Preventing Leukemia
CLL can result in an elevated white blood cell count that can remain stable for years and not require treatment. Often, though, mild treatments are required to keep the total count within a manageable range. In rare cases, more aggressive treatments are needed for changes in the white blood cell count or to treat complications such as anemia.
Doctors commonly treat CML with a class of medication called tyrosine kinase inhibitors. This class is also called targeted molecular therapies and works by interfering with the abnormal cells' ability to overstimulate production of various types of blood cells. After the treatment, many people with leukemia have no signs of leukemia (also called remission) for short periods of time, and some go into long-term remissions in which abnormal cells are no longer found in their blood.
White blood counts and overall health must be monitored, but sufferers can usually continue with normal activities during the therapy. More aggressive treatments are used to try to get acute leukemias into remission – the stage where normal levels of blood cells are restored. A combination of different chemotherapy medications is used for this. Some people may require radiation and a stem cell transplantation.
Bone marrow transplants combined with chemotherapy for people with CML may result in a cure, but it is usually reserved for people who do not respond to other therapies. Most people with CML start with tyrosine kinase inhibitors that act on the Philadelphia chromosome, because of their success with the ability to induce a remission.
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