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Leukemia Treatment Options
Treatment options for leukemia vary depending on the diagnosis and progression of the disease. Working with you and your doctor, we will design a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs.
Treatment options include:
Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation
Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation
Donor Lymphocyte Infusions
Chemotherapy
Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation
Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation involves the transplantation of bone marrow stem cells that have been previously harvested from a patient’s own body (typically during remission or prior to high-dose chemotherapy) and stored for this purpose. The cells may be treated before they are returned to the patient’s body in a process known as purging. The primary advantage of autologous transplantation is that the chance of rejection is much lower because the cells are the patient’s own.
Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation
Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation involves the transplantation of bone marrow stem cells that have been harvested from a healthy donor. The advantage of this procedure is that the cells being transplanted come from a person who is not suffering from the disease being treated. This theoretically increases the chance of the procedure’s success. However, with allogeneic transplantation, there may be a chance the recipient’s body will reject the cells.
Donor Lymphocyte Infusion
Donor Lymphocyte Infusion is typically used to combat relapse in patients who have already undergone an allogeneic stem cell transplant. Some of the original donor’s lymphocytes (white blood cells) are harvested and injected into the patient in order to stimulate what is known as the graft-versus-tumor effect (GVT), whereby the donor lymphocytes hunt down and kill residual leukemic cells.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a broad term that refers to the treatment of various cancers with the use of drugs. It can be used alone or in conjunction with other therapies, depending on the situation. It is not uncommon for patients who are scheduled for stem cell transplantation to undergo chemotherapy prior to a procedure.
For a physician referral, call 1-800-700-3956.
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