This leukemia treatment uses strong drugs that travel throughout the childs body to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is the main treatment for ALL, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).
Chemotherapy for leukemia can be given in a few different ways:
If your child is getting chemotherapy through an IV, they might have a small procedure first to place a small plastic tube called a port into a blood vessel under their skin. The chemotherapy will go into this tube to prevent them from going through multiple needle sticks over the many months or years of treatment.
Usually, chemotherapy is divided into three phases:
During this period, which lasts about a month, your child will receive a combination of different chemotherapy drugs. The goal is to put their cancer into remission, meaning there are no more signs of leukemia cells in their blood and bone marrow.
Children with ALL and AML may also get chemotherapy into their cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid around their brain and spinal cord) to kill any leukemia cells that may have spread there. This type of chemotherapy is delivered through a spinal tap.
More than 95 percent of children with ALL and up to 90 percent of those with AML will go into remission within a month after starting on induction treatment, says the American Cancer Society. This means there are no signs of cancer cells in their bone marrow and blood. The cancer isnt necessarily cured at this stage, but it is under control.
During this intense treatment period, your child will make many trips to the doctor. They may also need to stay in the hospital periodically to manage any treatment complications, like infections.
This next phase starts once your child is in remission, and it lasts for several months. Consolidation is a more intense phase that involves getting a combination of several chemotherapy drugs to kill any remaining cancer cells. Kids with high-risk leukemia (their cancer has certain gene changes that make it more resistant to treatment or more likely to return) may get additional chemotherapy drugs to prevent the cancer from coming back.
The last phase of treatment is designed to prevent the cancer from relapsing. Kids with ALL will get a combination of medicines, but often in lower doses than in the first two phases, according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
There is no maintenance phase for AML. Instead, children with this cancer will get higher doses of chemotherapy for a shorter period of time often less than a year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Because chemotherapy doesnt target cancer cells specifically, it can also kill some healthy cells. The most common side effects with this treatment are:
Most side effects will go away once your child finishes treatment. Their oncologist can prescribe medicines to prevent some of them, including nausea, vomiting, tiredness, and bleeding.
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Childhood Leukemia Treatment Options: Chemotherapy, Stem Cell ... - Everyday Health
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