What Are Treatments for Leukemia?

Leukemia is a type of cancer affecting the blood and bone marrow, marked by the overproduction of abnormal white blood cells. Treatment varies based on factors like the type and stage of leukemia, the patient’s age, overall health, and specific genetic mutations. 

What Are Treatment Options for Leukemia?

Below are the main treatment options, each with unique approaches and benefits:

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the most common treatment for leukemia. It uses drugs to destroy cancer cells or stop their growth. The specific chemotherapy drugs depend on the type of leukemia:

• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL): Drugs like vincristine, prednisone, and asparaginase are often used.
• Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML): Common drugs include cytarabine and daunorubicin.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy zeroes in on specific genes, proteins, or conditions that support cancer cell growth. This treatment minimizes damage to healthy cells while blocking cancer’s spread. A well-known example is Imatinib (Gleevec), which is used to treat Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) by targeting the BCR-ABL protein that drives the cancer.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy employs high-energy radiation to kill leukemia cells. It is often used:

• To prepare patients for a stem cell transplant.
• To target leukemia cells that have spread to the brain or spinal cord. The type and amount of radiation depend on the leukemia’s stage and type.

Stem Cell Transplant

A stem cell transplant (or bone marrow transplant) replaces diseased bone marrow with healthy stem cells. Before the transplant, high doses of chemotherapy or radiation destroy the cancerous bone marrow. Afterward, healthy stem cells are infused into the body to produce new, healthy blood cells.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy leverages the body’s immune system to fight leukemia. It can enhance or alter how the immune system works, allowing it to recognize and destroy cancer cells:

• CAR-T cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy that modifies a patient’s T cells to better attack leukemia cells.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials offer access to cutting-edge treatments that are not yet widely available but show potential in fighting leukemia. Participating in a trial may be an option at various stages of the disease, depending on factors like:

• Type of leukemia
• Age and overall health
• Genetic mutations in leukemia cells

It’s important to discuss all treatment options—including clinical trials—with your healthcare team to weigh potential benefits, risks, and side effects.

To explore leukemia clinical trials, visit HealthTree’s Leukemia Clinical Trial Finder. You can use advanced filters to find trials you qualify for and create an account to save your top choices for discussion with your leukemia specialist.

Clinical Trial Finder

Further Resources

Looking for trustworthy information on AML or CLL? Join our HealthTree community! We offer up-to-date news, interviews with specialists and informative webinars for patients and care partners. Connect with others and learn more at:

• HealthTree for AML
• HealthTree for CLL

Living with CML or ALL? We're working on expanding our support to you soon. Stay tuned!