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Chemotherapy and Drug Therapy

Chemotherapy drugs kill fast-growing cells throughout the body, including both cancer cells and normal, healthy cells. The damage to normal, healthy cells can cause side effects. Chemotherapy is typically given in cycles. Each cycle is made up of a certain number of days of treatment, followed by a certain number of days of rest. 

Treatment

It's important that your doctor is experienced in treating patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) or has access to a CML specialist. Doctors who specialize in treating patients with CML are called “hematologist-oncologists.”  

Click the links below to read about types of treatment for CML.

Treatment

There is not one treatment that is effective for all myelofibrosis (MF) patients. Patients have varying symptoms and circumstances that require different treatment options. Some MF patients remain symptom-free for many years and do not require immediate treatment. All MF patients, however, need to be closely monitored.

Diagnosis

While certain signs and symptoms may indicate that a person has PV, a series of tests are needed to confirm the diagnosis. It is important to have an accurate diagnosis, as it helps the doctor to: 

• Estimate how the disease will progress
• Determine the appropriate treatment

Evaluation of an individual with suspected PV should start with a detailed medical history and a physical examination.

The medical history should include information about the patient’s:

Methods to Administer Drugs

Chemotherapy and other drugs are often given in combination with each other and can be given in different ways. The method of administering the drug is based on the actual disease diagnosed and the agent's effectiveness. Common methods include:

Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation involves the use of stem cells from someone other than the patient. The donated stem cells can come from either a person related or not related to the patient. 

Family Planning Options

Many patients will be able to conceive naturally after cancer treatment. Patients are generally counseled to wait at least 2 years after treatment is completed before attempting conception. Check with your doctor to find out how long after treatment you should wait. If you are not able to conceive naturally, there are a number of other ways to build a family.

Diagnosis

An accurate diagnosis is one of the most important aspects of a person’s care. Obtaining a precise diagnosis will help the doctor

• Determine the MDS subtype 
• Estimate how the disease will progress
• Determine the most appropriate treatment

Since MDS can be a difficult disease to diagnose, you may want to get a second medical opinion by an experienced hematopathologist before you begin treatment.

Supportive Care

Treatment given to relieve the symptoms of a disease and the treatment’s side effects is known as supportive care. The goal of supportive care is to improve the patient’s quality of life and to relieve discomfort as much as possible. Supportive care is an important part of MDS treatment.

Chemotherapy and Drug Therapy

There are many different types of drugs used in the treatment of MDS.

Immunosuppressive Therapy. Drugs that suppress certain parts of the immune system can help some patients with lower-risk MDS. In some types of MDS, lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, may attack the bone marrow, causing it to stop making enough healthy blood cells. Immunosuppressive therapy lowers the body’s immune response to allow bone marrow stem cells to grow and make new blood cells. The main immunosuppressive therapy drugs used to treat MDS are:

T-Cell Prolymphocytic Leukemia (T-PLL)

T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is an extremely rare and typically aggressive malignancy (cancer) that is characterized by the out of control growth of mature T-cells (T-lymphocytes). T-cells are a type of white blood cell that protects the body from infections. T-PLL affects older adults with a median age at diagnosis of 61 years, and it is more common in men than in women.

Treatment of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a unique subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). APL cells have a very specific abnormality that involves chromosomes 15 and 17, leading to the formation of an abnormal fusion gene called PML/RARα. This mutated gene causes many of the features of the disease. APL accounts for about 10-15 percent of all adult AML cases diagnosed each year. 

Manuel

Part 1: A Survivor’s Mission

Ten years ago, my life was forever changed by three words, “You have cancer.” Those words shocked my invincible-minded adolescence into reality. I was a 15-year-old sophomore in high school, and I was terrified beyond comprehension. I knew nothing about cancer, chemotherapy, or what was about to happen to me. All I knew was that my life was involuntarily put on hold as I engaged in war with an enemy I never saw coming. With my entire world turned upside down and displaced within the confines of DuPont Hospital, life seemed utterly hopeless.

Samuel

On June 21, 2019, my sweet, goofy, little boy, Samuel, turned 3 years old, and we had a big celebration. We threw Samuel a beautiful birthday party surrounded by family and friends at a local farm. The kids played, fed the farm animals, went on pony and tractor rides, and ate pizza and cake. It was a day Samuel still remembers and talks about. He has always been so bright, even as a baby, saying words like “tickle” at 10 months old.

Mike

My personal story with blood cancer started in 2020 but nobody really knew how long it was brewing. A day came when back spasms started raging and my Primary Care Physician (PCP) sent me to physical therapy (PT). It didn’t take more than 1 visit to PT to know that was a bust and finally my PCP sent me to the Hematologist. This is where my blood cancer story becomes reality, in no more than 5 minutes, the Hematologist sent me directly to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.   

#TILTCANCER - Start Your Charity Stream Today

#TiltCancer is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s gaming & esports program. Join us and our community of content creators by creating a Livestream fundraiser, sign up for our video game fundraising events or become a #TiltCancer ambassador.

LLS PedAL - A pillar of the Dare to Dream Project

Through LLS PedAL, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is setting out to fundamentally change how children with pediatric acute leukemia, including acute myeloid leukemia and other high-risk leukemias, are treated.

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Support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by making a charitable gift in Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency. We accept donations in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and over 40 leading cryptocurrencies.  Crypto donations are one of the most tax-efficient ways to give to charity

The Affordable Care Act (ACA)

The Affordable Care Act requires health insurance plans sold through www.healthcare.gov and its state-based marketplaces to comply with a number of requirements. Many of these – including the ones described below – are meant to ensure that patients have access to meaningful health insurance coverage. It’s important to be aware that some health plans, available today through non-governmental sites, may not include these patient protections.

Treatment

It's important that your doctor is experienced in treating patients with acute leukemia or has access to an acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) specialist.

Doctors use several types of approaches and treatment combinations for ALL:

Disease Complications

Myeloma and treatment of myeloma can lead to mild to serious health complications and side effects. Some of these symptoms can be managed with ongoing supportive (palliative) care. Others may be medical emergencies requiring immediate attention. Always tell your healthcare team if you experience new or worsening symptoms. 

Pain related to myeloma or myeloma treatment can include 

Related Diseases

Myeloma shares some similar features and symptoms with other blood disorders, including:

Options for Egg Preservation

You may be able to take certain steps and precautions to preserve fertility before, during and after treatment. 

Hudson

Hudson entered the world on March 31, 2017. This is the day my heart left my own chest and was beating outside of my body. My whole world was immediately consumed by this little, perfect bundle of cuteness. As far as cancer risk goes, he didn’t really have any. He had a healthy infancy and toddlerhood, barely needing a Band-Aid. This is the case for so many children. In November of 2018, Hudson became a big brother to Violet. I can remember being in the studio for Violet’s newborn photos when the photographer had Hudson lay beside Violet.

Who We Are

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is at the forefront of the fight to cure cancer. We are the largest nonprofit dedicated to creating a world without blood cancers. Since 1949, we’ve invested nearly $1.3 billion in groundbreaking research, pioneering many of today’s most innovative approaches.

Cancer is a heck of an opponent.

It's a bully. But we aren't afraid of a fight. It's elusive. But our focus never fades. It's deadly. But we are known, cancer killers.