Everyone diagnosed with leukemia — we’re here for you.

Explore treatment types

There’s more than one way to treat leukemia.

Your leukemia treatment plan may include more than one type of treatment and will depend on a few factors:

• The type of leukemia you have
• The classification of your leukemia
• Your biomarker status
• Your overall health, including your age and any previous or current health conditions you’ve had or are managing

Knowing about different treatments helps you talk about them with your doctor and take an active role in your care.

Remember to ask about the side effects, risks, and benefits of any cancer treatment.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, or chemo, uses a combination of two or three powerful medications to attack and stop cancer cells from growing. It can also kill some healthy cells, which is why people may experience side effects, like hair loss.

Typically a fluid delivered into a vein (IV), it may also be given as an injection or pills.

Chemo is often used to treat cancers that, like leukemia, have spread throughout the body.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells. Different radiation techniques and schedules may be used depending on the type of leukemia you have.

Radiation may be used in combination with chemotherapy

Bone marrow transplant

Bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside some bones, contains stem cells. When you have leukemia, these cells become cancerous. A bone marrow transplant replaces these stem cells with healthy ones.

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are required before a transplant to help destroy the faulty cells first.

Immunotherapy

A therapy that boosts your body’s own immune system to fight cancer or helps train the immune system to attack certain cancer cells. Two kinds of immunotherapy you may hear about are monoclonal antibodies and CAR T-cell therapy.

• Monoclonal antibodies: These are man-made cancer fighting cells that target a specific part of leukemia cells. They may be used alone or with other treatments and are given as an IV or injection
• CAR T-cell therapy (chimeric antigen receptor): A sample of your blood is taken and put through a lab process to separate out T cells. The cells are then changed in a way that allows them to attach to cancer cells before being put back into your body. The T cells then boost the immune system and help it destroy cancer cells

Splenectomy

This surgical procedure is used in CLL to remove the spleen if it has become enlarged with cancer cells and is pressing on other organs. It does not treat CLL but may help relieve discomfort, improve blood cell counts, and lower the need for transfusions.

Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy is designed to act on specific features of cancer cells, such as proteins or gene changes identified through biomarker testing, although it can also affect some normal cells. It’s also called personalized or individualized therapy and is used alone or with chemo.

Targeted therapy is usually given as a pill but can also be an infusion (IV) or injection.

Clinical trials

If available treatments aren’t a fit for your particular cancer, participating in a clinical trial may be right for your situation. Clinical trials study the safety and efficacy of potential new medicines, including cancer treatments. Your doctor can tell you about the benefits and risks, and whether taking part in a clinical trial is right for you.

Explore clinical trials