Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia is a scary disease. The term “acute” means the disease can quickly spread and progress quickly and can prove fatal in months if left untreated. “Lymphocytic” simply means that it develops from immature forms of lymphocytes. Also known as Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, or ALL for short, it is a type of cancer that starts from the early form of white blood cells called lymphocytes in the bone marrow. ALL is the most common form of cancer in children, though adults can get it as well. For children, treatment results in a good chance of a cure. Adults have a significantly smaller chance of a cure with ALL. ALL generally invades the blood very quickly and has the potential to spread to other body parts such as the spleen, …show more content…
The first stage is called induction therapy. With induction therapy, the goal is to kill as many leukemic cells as possible in the blood and bone marrow. Restoring normal blood cell production is also a goal with induction therapy. Consolidation therapy is the second phase. Also called post-remission therapy, the goal is to destroy any remaining leukemia in the body. The third phase is maintenance therapy. The goal of maintenance therapy is to prevent leukemia cells from re-growing. Often, this phase is given in low doses over a period of time, most likely over a few years. Sometimes prevention therapy is given during the phases of treatment. Prevention therapy is given to kill any leukemia in the central nervous system. During prevention, chemotherapy is injected directly into the fluids surrounding the spinal cord. As a whole, the phases of treatment are given over a span of 2-3 years, depending on each …show more content…
Chemotherapy, Radiation therapy, stem cell transplant, and targeted drug therapy are all forms of treatment for ALL. Chemotherapy is typically used as induction therapy for kids and adults. Chemotherapy can also be used in consolidation and maintenance therapies. Chemotherapy is given in a variety of ways. It can be given orally as a pill or liquid. It can be given intravenously by infusion into a vein. A cream on the skin can be given. Chemotherapy can also be given by direct placement either via lumbar puncture or a device placed just under the scalp. Radiation therapy uses high-powered beams, such as x-rays, to kill the cancer cells. Radiation therapy is usually recommended when the cancer has spread to the central nervous
There are many different type of cancers, there are also many different types of treatments. One of the most known types of treatments would be chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can be used for a wide range of different types of cancers and diseases, and each of the different types of cancers or diseases require a different group, and sometimes order, of chemicals to properly treat the cancer or disease. These chemicals include: Alkylating agents, Antimetabolites, Anthracyclines, Topoisomerase inhibitors, mitotic inhibitors, corticosteroids, and more. Each of these drugs previously listed have its own cancer type(s) or disease(s) that it can assist in treating. Some of these cancers include: Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, multiple
The defining goal is to eliminate all evidence of the cancer cells with the use of cytotoxic agents. Chemotherapeutic agents are chosen because of their ability to interfere with oncologic cell division. The treatment of ALL involves 3 phases: remission induction, consolidation, and maintenance therapy. Pediatric patients with ALL are often given 8 or more months of intensive chemotherapy. This is often followed by maintenance therapy of two or more years (Gedaly-Duff et al., 2006). Most treatment protocols use systemic chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy (McCance & Huether, 2010). According to a study conducted by McDonald & Mc Carthy (2005), success of chemotherapy and remission depends on “aggressive induction chemotherapy followed by delayed intensification and maintenance therapy, p. 809.”
Chemotherapy is administered by mouth or by a needle injection into the blood stream. Sometimes patients are given a shot in the spinal fluid to ‘attack’ the cancerous cells surrounding the surface of the brain and the spinal cord. Chemotherapy is usually given three to four weeks apart, and the drugs used are usually combined with other drugs for effectiveness. (Detailed Guide: Lymphoman, Non-Hodgkin Type Chemotherapy, 2007) Radiation therapy is usually used with chemotherapy. The best effect is in the early stages of non-Hodgkin lymphoma; it responds very well towards the radiation. It uses high energy rays to kill the cancerous cells. (Detailed Guide: Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin Type Radiation Therapy, 2007) With any kind of treatment there are side effects which usually the patient is not afraid of if it means more time; if it means staying alive.
Leukemia most common treatments are: Chemotherapy, Radiation therapy, and Bone marrow transplantation, and then there is also Biological therapy. In chemotherapy, patients take one or more anticancer drugs by mouth or, intravenously through IV therapy. In some cases, doctors need to inject the drugs directly into the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Chemo can cause side effects, like losing your hair, nausea, fatigue, or easy bruising, depending on the drug. The side effects usually go away progressively between treatments or after treatments stop.
Cancer is a disease in which cells multiply out of control and gradually build a mass of tissue called a tumor. There has been a large amount of research dedicated to the treatment and cure of cancer. Several types of treatments have been developed. The following are just some of the major examples of cancer therapy: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic therapy, biorhythms, unconventional treatments, and hyperthermia. Each type of treatment is discussed in detail below.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) also known as myelocytic, myelogenous, or non-lymphocytic leukemias. is a type of cancer of the myeloid of blood cells, developed by the expeditious growth of white blood cell, build up in the bone marrow and it also restricts the production of normal blood cells. its probability of occurrence increases with the age, normally found in adults older than 55 years of age and overall survival rate of patients those are affected with AML is 20% at 5.
• A combination of surgery, radiation, and drugs that kill cancer cells (chemotherapy). This may be used for stage III and stage IV cancers.
Final treatment is the chemotherapy. Chemotherapy consists of the use of medications to get rid of cancer. This method is only used when the cancer has spread within the body. The side effects of chemotherapy can be very serious, but the side effects can also be treated with more medicines. Chemotherapy can be used in surgeries to make sure that the rest of the cancer is destroyed.
To treat a cancer patient the doctor needs to know the type of cancer, the stage, and how advanced the cancer is. The four most commonly used treatments are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or targeted therapy. Surgery is an option used for early stages of cancer; this procedure is usually just where all cancerous tissue is removed from the lung. The second type of treatment is radiation, which are high energy rays or particles used to kill cancer cells. This treatment can be used at any stage, and is also effective after surgery to kill any cancer cells that may remain. Another type of
Radiation is another type of treatment. Radiation therapy uses a special machine to deliver high energy rays that damage cancer cells and stop then from growing. These rays may be detected in the entire body, or they may be focused on certain area where leukemia cells are collecting.( Disease facts and statistics, 30)
Cancer is one of the most feared diseases, and it can affect all parts of the body, including the blood. Leukemia and lymphoma are both blood cancers. Leukemia and Lymphoma have serval things in common. First, both are result from problems with white blood cells. “In leukemia, bone marrow produces too many white blood cells that do not naturally die off in the method that usual aging blood cells do”. [1] “Lymphoma is a kind of blood cancer that affects your lymphatic system, an important part of your immune system, which helps to protect your body from infection and disease” .[1] Lymphoma frequently begin in the lymph nodes, which are slight tissues that support in your body’s fight against infection. [2] Certain kinds of lymphoma also may
The cancer leukemia starts in the tissue that forms blood. It helps to know how normal blood cells are formed. Most blood develop from cells in the bone marrow called stem cells. The soft material in the center of most bones is called bone marrow. Many type of blood cells mature into stem cells. There are many different types of jobs for stem cells. The while blood cells are the ones that help fight the infection. There are many types of white blood cells in the body. Red blood cells are the cells that carry oxygen throughout the body. Platelets help form blood clots that control bleed in the body. Platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells are madr form stem cells are made when the body is in need of them. When cells get
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is a profound disease that involves an overproduction of immature myeloid and lymphoid cells. Hematopoiesis is a process where Hemocytoblast stem cells differentiate into a range of progenitor cells. Part of the developmental process for these progenitor cells occurs in the spleen, liver and lymph nodes. In ALL, clonal cells then take up space within the blood stream, causing the percentage of normal blood constituents to be out of balance. For example, less erythrocytes are made, putting the suffer at risk of being anemic which has further risks associated with it. It can be determined that you have ALL from a blood test, chromosome analysis or a bone marrow sample. For a blood test, then a complete blood
Leukemia originates in the bone marrow as the result of a mutation in an individuals DNA. Bone marrow is found in the inner core of bones, and is a type of soft tissue that makes blood cells. Though it is predominately part of the skeletal system, healthy bone marrow makes red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, and regulates the amount of blood cells that are produced in order to maintain normal function within the body. However, once a mutation alters the genetic code within cells of the bone marrow, control and production of an individual’s blood cells can no longer be maintained properly. Specifically, leukemia causes a rise in the amount of white blood cells found in the blood, many of which are abnormal and thus lack the ability to function appropriately. White blood cells (leukocytes) are essential to an individual’s health as they are the primary fighters of infection. As part of the immune system, healthy white blood cells target infectious agents, pathogens, damaged cells, and other foreign substances found in the blood and facilitate their removal from the body. Over time, the cancerous cells generate enough abnormal blood
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) - Patient’s with ALL have lymphoid cells affected and it grows rapidly. It is more common in children (McKenna, 2000).