Leukemia Treatment

There are many types of effective treatments that are available for treating leukemia. The most suitable type of leukemia treatment is dependent on several factors. Some of the factors include the type of leukemia that one is suffering from, the age of the patient and the location of the leukemia cells. Here are some of the various leukemia treatment options

1. Watchful waiting

People who do not have cancer symptoms can decide to delay treatment until they have cancer symptoms. This type of treatment assists one to avoid the side effects of cancer, it also has it own risks. One of the consequences of choosing watchful waiting is that the chances of controlling leukemia before minimizing it are less. However, if one changes their mind in the middle, there are other methods that one can choose from.

2. Chemotherapy

 Chemotherapy is the most commonly used method when it comes to leukemia treatment. Chemotherapy usually focuses destroying leukemia cells by using a certain type of drug. The type of drug that one will be offered is dependent on the type of leukemia that one is suffering from. There are several ways of receiving chemotherapy. They include through the mouth, the vein, a catheter and in to the cerebrospinal fluid.  Chemotherapy is normally treated in cycles with a given rest period in between.  Some of the side effects of chemotherapy include loss of hair, lower level of healthy blood cells and infertility

3. Target therapy

 In the target therapy method, drugs that prevent the growth of leukemia cells are normally used. An instance is in the case of an abnormal protein which is responsible for stimulating the growth of leukemia cells is blocked by target therapy. Some of the side effects of using the targeted therapy method include sudden weight gain, bloating and swelling. Other side effects that one can witness include muscle cramps, nausea, diarrhoea or vomiting.