Leukemia drug treatment depends on various factors. It is generally determined by the physician or the doctor depending upon the patient’s age, health, and type and spread of leukemia.
The usual therapies for the treatment of leukemia are:
1. Chemotherapy: It is the major therapy followed for the treatment of leukemia. The therapy uses various drugs to kill the cancerous cells. Unfortunately, this therapy is that its side effects are enormous. It may even provoke other syndromes in the body of the patient.
2. Leukemia Drug Therapy: It may include a single drug or even a combination of drugs depending on the dosage regime to be followed. The route for the administration of the drug in the body may also vary from one patient to another. While some may receive pills others may have to face drug injections. All this is determined by the factors of the disease and the patient’s condition. Generally prescribed leukemia drugs include prednisone, vincristine, daunorubicin, L-asparaginase, pegaspargase, methotrexate, and cyclophosphamide. Other occasionally used drugs include Imatinib and Nelarabine. Dasatinib is a new leukemia drug and is used for infections where other drugs have proven ineffective. The leukemia drug therapy list also contains daunorubicin, idarubicin, cytosine arabinoside, mitoxantrone, and Gemtuzumab.
3. Biological Therapy: Patients may even wish to undergo a biological therapy where the immune system of the patient’s body is improved in order to fight the leukemia cells within the body.
4. Radiation Therapy: It is helpful in treating leukemia patients as it uses high energy rays or laser beams to destroy the cancerous cells in the body. The patient lies down on a table and the machine focuses on the specific body part and emits radiation to kill the cells.
5. Stem Cell Transplant Therapy: Another hope for leukemia patients is stem cell transplant therapy. In this method the patient is supplied with a high dose of drugs or radiation to kill the cancerous cells. After this, the patient is transplanted with the bone marrow fluid of their own body, preserved previously, or from a close relative’s body.
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