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Cancer Treatment Options
Chemotherapy
Patients with acute
myelogenous leukemia (AML) usually receive chemotherapy
drugs as soon as possible after diagnosis. Chemotherapy uses
strong cancer drugs to kill leukemia cells. This first stage
of treatment is called induction therapy. The goal is to achieve
remission (no signs of leukemia cells) and to restore normal
blood production.
Common chemotherapy drugs given during induction therapy include
daunorubicin, doxorubicin, and cytarabine. These cancer
drugs kill the leukemia cells by stopping them from growing.
Unfortunately, chemotherapy also kills normal cells, so AML
patients receiving induction therapy may have side effects
including nausea, tiredness, and higher risk of infections.
For most patients, induction therapy brings back normal blood
cell production within a few weeks, and microscopic examinations
of their blood and marrow samples show no signs of leukemia
cells. When this happens, the disease is in remission. At
this point, several long-term treatment choices may be considered.
These include further chemotherapy or a blood
stem cell transplant.
Find out more about…
Blood Stem Cell Transplants
| Radiation &
Surgery
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Leukemia Cancer Information