Chemotherapy is an important part of treatment for patients with leukemia. It uses powerful drugs that circulate through the body looking for rapidly dividing cells, like cancer cells. It works to prevent cancer cells from growing by interrupting how the cells multiply. Other rapidly dividing cells in the body, such as those in the hair follicles and digestive tract, may also be harmed, causing side effects such as hair loss and nausea.
There are many different chemotherapy drugs and each works in a different way to kill cancers cells. Your chemotherapy treatment may include several drugs given in combination. Chemotherapy is given in a number of ways, including an intravenous (IV) infusion, pills taken by mouth, an injection, or delivered into the spinal fluid through a spinal tap.
Chemotherapy for some types of leukemia is given in phases:
- Induction therapy is first-line chemotherapy given to induce (cause) a complete remission, or absence of leukemia, in the bone marrow and blood. At Roswell Park, induction treatment is typically provided in a state-of-the art inpatient unit staffed by a team of nurses who focus exclusively on leukemia patients. Because chemotherapy can also damage healthy cells, patients receiving induction therapy at Roswell Park spend approximately one month in the hospital so their health can be monitored closely.
- Consolidation therapy delivers additional rounds of high-dose chemotherapy agents monthly on an outpatient basis for several months to destroy any leftover leukemia cells and prevent the disease from coming back or relapsing.
- Maintenance therapy may involve an additional 12-24 months of chemotherapy pills and injections to prevent the leukemia from ever coming back.