You'll likely get a medicine called cytarabine. It's given as a continuous infusion for 7 days. Another chemo medicine, usually daunorubicin or idarubicin, will be given for 3 days. This 7-day plus 3-day protocol puts the leukemia cells in contact with medicines at different phases of their growth.
Over several days, you will have 2-4 chemotherapy sessions (called cycles) with rest periods in between. You may be given a similar combination of drugs to those used in induction, at the same or a higher dose.
This is usually about 4 to 6 weeks. Some of the chemotherapy drugs you might have include: vincristine.
Third phase — maintenance chemotherapy.
Remission induction therapy.
This is the first round of treatment given during the first 3 to 4 weeks after diagnosis. It is designed to destroy most of the leukemia cells, stop symptoms of the disease, and return the blood counts to normal levels.
For most people the side effects were worst in the first few days after treatment, then they gradually felt better until the next treatment. Some said the effects were worse with each successive treatment. Most side effects don't persist and disappear within a few weeks after the end of treatment.
Palliative treatment can be used at any stage of advanced AML to improve quality of life. As well as slowing the spread of leukaemia, it can relieve pain and help manage other symptoms. Treatment may include chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.
When leukemia spreads to small organs called lymph nodes in the chest, it can crowd the trachea, causing heart blood flow and breathing problems. Lymph node disease is common in adults with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but rarely occurs with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Stage 4 – A patient has high levels of white blood cells and low platelets. He or she may also be anemic, have enlarged lymph nodes and have an enlarged liver or spleen.
Drugs that damage or destroy cancer cells also affect normal cells. Rapidly dividing cells, such as hair follicle cells, are the most affected. This is why hair loss (alopecia) is a common side effect of chemotherapy.
Acute myelogenous leukemia is the most common kind of aggressive leukemia in adults. It can also affect children. This type of leukemia starts in the myeloid cells of the bone marrow and can spread quickly into the blood.
Some reasons why you might consider stopping include: Your cancer is advanced, and further treatment won't make a big difference in how long you live. You've tried multiple treatments that haven't worked. The risks or side effects of treatment outweigh the benefits.
AML chemotherapy usually starts with 1 week of intense treatment. After this, the person may receive a 5-day treatment session every 4 weeks, with the cycle repeating three or four times. Doctors usually recommend a combination of chemotherapy medications rather than a single one.
Today, nearly 90 percent of adults diagnosed with ALL achieve a complete remission, which means that leukemia cells can no longer be seen in the bone marrow with a microscope.
If the first treatment with chemotherapy doesn't work, your doctor may advise another type of chemotherapy. This might be given in high doses along with a stem cell transplant. This depends on a variety of factors, such as your age and if the first treatment worked at all.
The 5-year relative survival rate for people age 20 and older is 43%. The 5-year relative survival rate for people under age 20 is 90%. Recent advances in treatment have significantly lengthened the lives of people with ALL. However, the survival rates for the disease vary based on several factors.
Leukemia starts in the soft, inner part of the bones (bone marrow), but often moves quickly into the blood. It can then spread to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, central nervous system and other organs.
Leukemia staging is generally determined by blood cell counts and the accumulation of leukemia cells within organs. When diagnosing leukemia, the test most commonly performed is a complete blood count (CBC), which measures: White blood cell count. Red blood cell count.
For most cancers where palliative chemotherapy is used, this number ranges from 3-12 months. The longer the response, the longer you can expect to live.
You might notice an improvement in cancer symptoms, such as less pain, reduced lymph node swelling, and improved energy levels. If you use topical chemotherapy on skin lesions, the area might feel irritated and look red and swollen for the first few weeks. These are all signs that chemotherapy is working.
Nausea and vomiting can start within the first few hours after chemotherapy drugs are given and usually last about 24 hours. However, nausea and vomiting may start more than 24 hours after treatment and last several days (called delayed nausea and vomiting).
The effects of chemo are cumulative. They get worse with each cycle. My doctors warned me: Each infusion will get harder. Each cycle, expect to feel weaker.