What is induction chemotherapy for leukemia?

Induction is the first phase of treatment. It is short and intensive, typically lasting about a week. The goal is to clear the blood of leukemia cells (blasts) and to reduce the number of blasts in the bone marrow to normal. Consolidation is chemo given after the patient has recovered from induction.

What happens in induction chemotherapy?

The first phase of treatment is induction therapy. The goal of induction therapy is to destroy as many cancer cells as possible in order to achieve (induce) a remission. Typically, initial therapy requires a hospital stay of 4 to 6 weeks. All signs and symptoms of ALL are gone.

How long is induction chemotherapy AML?

For example, the induction phase for AML treatment usually lasts for 7 days. People receiving this treatment usually need to stay in the hospital throughout the week and for some time afterward. The consolidation phase may involve receiving high doses of a medication for 5 days.

What is one goal of induction therapy in the treatment of leukemia?

Induction treatment is also called remission induction therapy. The goal of induction treatment for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is to clear the blood and bone marrow of immature blood cells (called blast cells, or blasts) and bring about a complete remission, or complete response.

How successful is chemotherapy for leukemia?

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), around 90 percent of people with an AML type known as acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) will go into remission after “induction” (first round) of chemo. For most other types of AML, the remission rate is around 67 percent.

How do you know if chemo is working for leukemia?

The best way to tell if chemotherapy is working for your cancer is through follow-up testing with your doctor. Throughout your treatment, an oncologist will conduct regular visits, and blood and imaging tests to detect cancer cells and whether they’ve grown or shrunk.

What is the success rate of chemotherapy for leukemia?

With current standard chemotherapy regimens, approximately 40-45% of adults younger than 60 years survive longer than 5 years and are considered cured. Results in older patients are more disappointing, with fewer than 10% surviving over the long term.

Is induction therapy the same as chemotherapy?

An induction therapy is the first treatment for a disease. Induction therapies are also called first-line therapies or primary therapies. Chemotherapy can be used at different points in your cancer treatment: Concurrent chemotherapy radiation therapy is when chemotherapy and radiation therapy are performed together.

Can chemo cure leukemia?

Chemo drugs travel through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells all over the body. This makes chemo useful for cancers such as leukemia that has spread throughout the body. Chemo is the main treatment for just about all people with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).

How long after chemotherapy can you get leukemia?

These chemo drugs stop cells from being able to repair DNA. These drugs can also cause leukemia, mainly AML. Leukemia develops sooner after treatment with these drugs than the leukemia from alkylating agents. Most cases are found within 2 or 3 years of treatment and without MDS occurring first.

What is intrathecal chemotherapy for leukemia?

If the leukemia has spread to the CNS, treatment may include chemotherapy given directly into the spinal fluid (called intrathecal chemotherapy). The drug used in intrathecal chemotherapy is methotrexate or cytarabine . It is given during a lumbar puncture or through an Ommaya reservoir.

What happens during chemotherapy for leukemia?

For acute leukemia, the immediate goal of treatment is remission. The patient undergoes chemotherapy in a hospital and stays in a private room to reduce the chance of infection. Since acute leukemia patients have extremely low counts of healthy blood cells, they are given blood and platelet transfusions to help prevent or stop bleeding.

How is chemotherapy used to treat leukemia?

By mouth

  • By injection into a vein
  • Through a catheter
  • Injection directly into the cerebrospinal fluid
  • Injection into the spine or a Ommaya reservoir