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=Treatment of Leukemia=
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**Acute Leukemia** Acute Leukemia __must__ be treated as soon as possible because it progresses at an extremely rapid pace. The main objective of treatment is to bring about remission ( to leave no trace of the disease). During remission, more therapy is given to the patient to prevent a relapse. Therefore, if discovered and treated early, people with acute leukemia can be cured.

**Chronic leukemia** This type of leukemia doesn't really need an immediate treatment because disease progression is slower than acute leukemia. However, it is imperative for those with this type of leukemia to have frequent checkups in order to monitor the disease. The treatment is usually promoted with the purpose of controlling disease and symptoms.

__**Methods of treatment**__
 * Chemotherapy** is a treatment period followed by a recovery period, then another treatment period and so on. Anticancer drugs reach all areas of your body through your bloodstream. Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells by stopping them from growing or multiplying. Some healthy cells are destroyed as well, which is what causes the side effects, but normal cells are often able to repair themselves after treatment. Different types of drugs are used for the different types of leukemia.
 * Biological therapy** is treatment with substances that affect the immune system's response to cancer. Interferon, a drug used against some types of leukemia, is a form of biological therapy. Biological therapy or immunotherapy uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer, using antibodies to target and destroy leukemia cells


 * Surgery** is less likely to be considered for sufferers of leukemia because leukemia cells are spread throughout the body, therefore making it extremely difficult to target one specific area and destroy the cells there. However, in some cases surgery is done to remove the spleen. The spleen may be removed because blood cells have accumulated, causing the spleen to swell and displace other organs in the abdomen.


 * Radiation** is treatment with high-energy rays that destroy cancer cells. Sometimes it is used for leukemia in the central nervous system or testicles as well as for pain caused by bone destruction. However, radiation is not the primary treatment for leukemia. In high doses radiation therapy kills cells or keeps them from growing and dividing. Radiation therapy is helpful in treating cancer because cancer cells reproduce faster than most normal cells. The biggest problem is that radiation does kill normal cells along with the cancer cells.


 * Bone Marrow Transplants** are probably the best bet for a cure in many cases of leukemia. Doctors perform this procedure when leukemia is in remission or when the patient relapses during or after treatment. Patients are given a bone marrow transplant so that their body can be given higher doses of chemotherapy drugs that would not be tolerated otherwise. Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells but it also kills normal cells in the bone marrow, making the bone marrow transplant necessary in order to make up for the destruction of normal cells.


 * Innovative treatments** are also available to patients with leukemia and have brought about exciting results. Just recently, researchers conducted a clinical trial using a new drug, STI-571, which offers greater hope for those who suffer from chronic leukemia. In the past patients with chronic leukemia had a low survival rate - less than 20 percent - according to the Oregon Cancer Center Leukemia Program. This special new drug is a pill that patients take daily, however it is different from chemotherapy in that it does not kill healthy cells along with the cancer cells. STI-571 specifically targets an enzyme found only in leukemia cells, therefore patients suffer fewer side effects. In the tests done by Dr. Brian Druker associate professor of medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University, 19 of 29 patients responded positively to therapy, meaning their bone marrow cell abnormalities were reduced to 15

Curing leukemia is a difficult battle to endure, however there //is// hope. With recent developments in cancer treatment, new and better ways to fight leukemia are available.


 * QUIZ QUESTION

Name two different treatments and what happens in those two**