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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 Outcomes
Treatment results and outcomes vary among patients. The advent of the chemotherapy drug cladribine (Leustatin®) has resulted in approximately an 85 percent rate of complete remission (no evidence of the disease) and approximately 10 percent rate of partial response.
Many patients remain disease free for years or decades after treatment with cladribine or pentostatin (Nipent®) and have a normal life expectancy.
Chancez
Hey, my name is Chancez (ironically, I was blessed with many chances last year). I became a part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) community last year and was provided financial support. I was also presented with love, care, and daily reminders of all the support that was available to me to get me through such a rough period in my life. A friend of mine suggested that I share my story to help others in our community, especially young adults who are in the same predicament I was once in.
CML Phases and Prognostic Factors
CML has three phases. The phase of your chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) plays a large part in determining the type of treatment you'll receive. Doctors use diagnostic tests to determine the phase of CML. Determining the CML phase is based primarily on the number of immature white blood cells (blasts) in the patient’s blood and bone marrow.
Phases of CMLChronic Phase. Most patients are diagnosed with CML in the with chronic phase of the disease.
People with chronic phase CML:
Graham
I am joining former England and Crystal Palace footballer and leukemia survivor, Geoff Thomas, and 23 other teammates to cycle the full Tour de France route one week ahead of the professionals to raise funds for the UK charity Cure Leukaemia. It's three huge goals — riding the Tour de France, raising $40,000 myself, and the team’s goal of $1 million. But with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) help, I know I can achieve it.
Ashley
My name is Ashley, and I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on February 21, 2024, during my junior year at Texas Tech University. I was struggling with my health for a couple of months but brushed it off as being tired from schoolwork as well as thinking I was just dehydrated. I was student teaching at a nearby elementary school when the school nurse told me I should go to the emergency room and get looked at due to my heart rate being so high.
Organizing Medical Records
Keeping a file with all your medical records in one place is a good idea, especially if you're seeing more than one doctor or seeking a second opinion.
Get copies of lab reports from your healthcare providers and keep them in a file folder, a three-ring binder or any other system that works best for you. Organize test reports by date (chronological) so they're easy to find. By keeping organized records, you'll be able to:
Tricia
My story is truly about the little family that could. In 2002, I felt I had it all: a loving partner, a new job offer, and plans to start a family. Upon my return from a business trip in May, that feeling shifted as a large lump appeared on the side of my neck. Several doctor visits, tests, and sleepless nights later, I received a phone call on the way to a meeting from a doctor. He asked me to pull the car over. He told me I had cancer. Everything stopped.
Kathryn
My symptoms became pretty intense in December 2017. I was 21 at the time and living a healthy and active lifestyle, but my symptoms were starting to interfere with my quality of life. I was experiencing a cough, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, and pretty intense back pain, along with several swollen lymph nodes primarily on the left side of my collarbone.
Long-Term and Late Effects of Treatment
While treatments for ALL have led to increased survival rates, some may cause significant long-term or late effects. Long-term effects of cancer treatment are medical problems that last for months or years after treatment ends. Late effects are medical problems that do not appear until years, or even possibly decades, after treatment ends.
The long-term and late effects of childhood ALL treatment can include:
Follow-Up Care
Those who have been treated for MDS are encouraged to:
Skylar
As a parent, there are few words that can knock you on your feet. “Your child has cancer” is one of those phrases that can make you fall apart in an instant.
Allison
My story is not all that different from many others. It began with two-year-old me not feeling well and my mom taking me to the pediatrician on a Monday. They diagnosed me with an ear infection and gave me antibiotics. On Friday, still not better, my mom asked my dad if they should let the doctor take another look at me. In my mom’s words, “Something’s not right with my little girl.” Fortunately, the doctor ran a platelet test. My results were so off the charts that she also ran the test on herself to make sure the machine was not broken.
Tina
Today I am CELEBRATING!! AHHHHH, SO BLESSED!!! It’s been 20 years since my leukemia diagnosis! I am celebrating because of so many reasons!
Be Your Child’s Advocate
Parents may need to educate other family members, friends, school personnel and healthcare providers about long-term and late effects. Here are some steps parents can take:
Ph-Positive ALL Therapy
Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs)In addition to chemotherapy combinations, children with Philadelphia chromosomepositive (Ph+) ALL and Philadelphia chromosome-like (Ph-like) ALL are also given a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) medication.
Tyrosine kinases are enzymes that are a part of many cell functions including cell signaling, growth and division. These enzymes may become too active in patients with an ALL subtype called Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL (Ph+ ALL).
Kimberly
In October of 2020, I became sick with a sinus infection. After a 10-day dose of antibiotics, I was still sick, and the doctor gave me a stronger dose of antibiotics. Once I finished the five-day dose, I felt better, but every day I had a headache. After 28 days of continuous headaches, I decided to call the doctor again and let him know. It was a Friday, and he was off, so I was told to wait until the following Monday. Over the course of the weekend, I developed another sinus infection and lesions on my body, including on my uvula.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a drug therapy that stimulates the immune system. Interferon, a type of immunotherapy, is a substance made naturally by the immune system, but it can also be made in the laboratory. Interferon reduces the growth and division of cancer cells.
Austin
Four were spoken that day. Four crushing, breathtaking words, “Your son has cancer.” My world, my life, and my dreams for my son’s future suddenly halted while the rest of the world kept going on around us on May 14, 2011. Only days before, I was deciding what theme to have for his third birthday party and what outfit he would wear for his pictures. Days later, my husband and I were signing consents for the specific protocol of poison that would be pumped into Austin and having to digest the laundry list of possible side effects.
CML in Children and Young Adults
Most cases of CML occur in adults. From 2012 to 2016, approximately 2 percent of all cases of CML occurred in children, adolescents and young adults less than age 20.
Leo
Five-year-old Leo was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) in June 2019. His parents had noticed bruising on his legs, petechiae around his eyes, fatigue, and shortness of breath, but because the symptoms didn’t present all at once, they didn’t think it was anything serious. Thankfully, on a Friday afternoon, Leo was due for a check-up where the nurse noticed the bruising on his legs and ordered a blood test.
Sue
It’s 2015 and I am doing my happy dance! It’s been 20 years since my bone marrow transplant for my chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and I am still here enjoying what life brings my way.
Diagnosis
While certain signs and symptoms may indicate that a person has ET, 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
Some of these tests may be repeated both during and after treatment to evaluate its effectiveness.