People may receive maintenance therapy to help keep the cancer in remission, but chronic leukemia can seldom be cured with chemotherapy. However, stem cell transplants offer some people with chronic leukemia the chance for cure.
Because of acute lymphoblastic leukemia's (ALL's) rapid growth, most patients need to start chemotherapy soon after diagnosis. Chemotherapy drugs kill fast-growing cells throughout the body including cancer cells and normal, healthy cells. The damage to normal, healthy cells can cause side effects.
Today, nearly 90 percent of adults diagnosed with ALL achieve a complete remission, which means that leukemia cells can no longer be seen in the bone marrow with a microscope.
Chemotherapy is the major form of treatment for leukemia. This drug treatment uses chemicals to kill leukemia cells. Depending on the type of leukemia you have, you may receive a single drug or a combination of drugs. These drugs may come in a pill form, or they may be injected directly into a vein.
Treatment often lasts two to three years, although the first months are the most intense. During maintenance phases, children can usually live a relatively normal life and go back to school. And adults may be able to continue working.
People in stages 0 to II may live for 5 to 20 years without treatment. CLL has a very high incidence rate in people older than 60 years. CLL affects men more than women. If the disease has affected the B cells, the person's life expectancy can range from 10 to 20 years.
In the United States, overall, 5-year survival among people diagnosed with leukemia is 65%. However, these statistics vary greatly according to the specific subtype of disease: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) 5-year survival rate is 88%. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) 5-year survival rate is 71.3%.
If caught early, leukemia can be cured by undergoing several cancer treatments.
Around 87% of people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) live for 5 or more years following diagnosis. Although doctors cannot often cure the disease, a person can live with this form of leukemia for many years.
Chronic leukemia progresses more slowly and results in the accumulation of relatively mature, but still abnormal, white blood cells. It tends to take longer to start causing noticeable problems than acute leukemia. However, chronic, slower-growing leukemia may be more difficult to treat.
In people treated for acute leukaemia, remission may last many years, and then they are considered cured. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is still incurable but treatment can relieve symptoms and induce long-lasting remissions.
High-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation
Autologous stem cell transplantation — using cells collected from the patient's own bone marrow after they have achieved complete remission — appears to produce a cure approximately 50 percent to 55 percent of the time for intermediate-risk AML.
Can you refuse chemotherapy? Yes. Your doctor presents what he or she feels are the most appropriate treatment options for your specific cancer type and stage while also considering your overall health, but you have the right to make final decisions regarding your care.
Because of chemotherapy's possible risks and side effects, it is not always recommended. Your oncologist may recommend avoiding chemotherapy if your body is not healthy enough to withstand chemotherapy or if there is a more effective treatment available.
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) often develops very slowly. You might need little or no treatment. Although it is not usually curable, the disease can be under control for many years.
Call Your Doctor About Leukemia If:
You experience unexplained bleeding, high fever, or a seizure. You may need emergency treatment for acute leukemia. You are in remission from leukemia and notice signs of recurrence, such as infection or easy bleeding. You should have a follow-up exam.
CLL is not curable. However, it is possible to live for 10 years or more after diagnosis.
Chronic leukemia involves more-mature blood cells. These blood cells replicate or accumulate more slowly and can function normally for a period of time. Some forms of chronic leukemia initially produce no early symptoms and can go unnoticed or undiagnosed for years.
Mel Mann was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia and given three years to live — more than 27 years ago. He enrolled in one of the first clinical trials for a drug called Gleevec (imatinib).
Many people enjoy long and healthy lives after treatment for blood cancer. Sometimes, the treatment can affect a person's health for months or even years after it has finished. Some side effects may not be evident until years after treatment has ceased.
Some people with leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes have bone or joint pain. This bone pain is most often felt in the long bones of the arms and legs, in the ribs and in the breastbone. Joint pain and swelling of the large joints, like the hips and shoulders, sometimes starts several weeks after bone pain begins.
Adults between the age of 65 and 74 have the highest risk of developing leukemia. Chronic leukemia, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), is the most common type of leukemia seen in people over the age of 50, with the median age of diagnosis being around 71.
Causes of leukaemia
The cause of acute leukaemia is unknown, but factors that put some people at higher risk are: exposure to intense radiation. exposure to certain chemicals, such as benzene. viruses like the Human T-Cell leukaemia virus.
Who gets leukemia? Although it is often thought of as a children's disease, most cases of leukemia occur in older adults. More than half of all leukemia cases occur in people over the age of 65.