A very formidable disease is becoming more obedient and manageable. Leukemia can be cured. To cope with the pathology, it is necessary to detect it as soon as possible and begin treatment with the help of experienced specialists.
How to treat leukemia blood?
The methods of care are almost the same for different age categories. In children, often with blood disease, the cells necessary for life support are no longer produced, so they must periodically receive blood transfusions.
Chemotherapy
The method of action on cancer cells for the purpose of their elimination with the help of drugs is called chemotherapy. This is the main way to treat leukemia.
Each patient is selected individually. There is an opinion of specialists that the best result shows treatment with a complex of drugs.
At selection of means consider:
- a disease,
- degree of development,
- age,
- individual features.
Specialists use this method, selecting so drugs for the treatment of leukemia, to destroy as much as possible pathogenic cells and as little damage to healthy ones.
Chemotherapy courses for leukemia are divided into three periods:
- Induction therapy. The duration of part of the treatment can last a month or up to six weeks. The most intensive therapy is performed during this period. The result of induction treatment is most often a remission. The stage, when the disease receded, should be fixed by subsequent therapies.
- Tightening therapy. The duration of the period can be up to six months. Purpose of treatment:
- Destroy possible residue of cancer cells.
- Save the result, overcome possible addiction to medicines.
- Make everything necessary to consolidate remission.
- Supportive therapy. Patient this period is at home. Main activities:
- Clinical check-up at the hematologist, careful monitoring of possible changes in blood composition through periodic examinations of the patient.
- In addition, the specialist prescribes maintenance treatment through taking medications. Careful observation of the patient's condition is recommended for up to three years.
The attending physician decides how to organize the assistance process for the particular patient. All three stages are not always carried out.
The procedures load the body, because healthy cells suffer, side effects also appear:
- can be bleeding,
- deterioration of digestion,
- hair growth is disturbed.
Radiation mode
Cancerous blood cells from the effects of irradiating radiation come to destruction. This method, like chemotherapy, has side effects:
- some healthy cells are also damaged by radiation,
- poor health:
- nausea,
- indigestion,
- hair loss.
Specialists are able to help relieve the discomfort associated with procedures. Most of the symptoms pass after the completion of the irradiation course. Procedures are appointed for short periods of time with a mandatory pause between them.
The event can be carried out in two ways:
- system,
- directional.
In the first variant, the entire organism is irradiated. The method is applied only in especially severe cases, because all the consequences are not fully understood.
The second option involves irradiation of places where there was a buildup of cancer cells, for example, lymph nodes.
In leukemia, radiation therapy is rarely used.
Biological method
Introduction to the body of cells that are antibodies to diseased cells is called monoclonal therapy. Antibodies are related to pathological cells, glued to them. It turns out that diseased cells become labeled, and immunity can eliminate them.
This method of treatment can also be carried out by taking drugs that stimulate the development of cells, promote their growth and subsequent differentiation. Such drugs are called interleukins. In composition, they are hormone-like proteins.
Stem cell transplant
The method involves replacing diseased blood cells with healthy ones. Chemotherapy is performed, which kills all blood cells. After that, healthy stem cells are planted, which should take root and resume the process of hematopoiesis.
Stem cells that are attached to the patient for healing blood are obtained in two ways:
- is taken from him during the remission period, frozen and stored until needed;
- is obtained from the donor, by selection for compatibility.
Most stem cell transplant brings a fracture in the disease to a stable remission.
Target Therapy
The method is a kind of biological control methods. Proceeding drugs that have an effect on specific pathological cells.
The method is gentle, because healthy cells do not collapse. The effect of depriving oncology cells of oxygen is created. Treatment is low-toxic and quite effective.
Therapy is applied:
- when it is necessary to stop the development of malignant process,
- in the case when it is impossible due to age or intolerance to conduct chemotherapy,
- in combination with other types of care,
- in order to prevent the exacerbation of the disease.
Supportive therapy
To add strength to the body during the period of treatment, various methods and means are used to strengthen immunity or prevent negative events.
- Probably prescription of antibiotics - is due to the fact that during chemotherapy, along with patients with leukocytes, healthy ones can also be destroyed. And since these are immunomodulating cells, the body becomes unprotected before infections. Therefore, antibiotics and wearing a mask in public places are designed to protect the patient from unwanted infection.
- In order to maintain the strength and vitality of the patient's body, the treatment process can include periodic blood transfusions. This is necessary when the blood does not produce some kinds of cells or produces them in a significantly underreported amount.
- Taking anti-anemia drugs will also support the patient during illness and undergoing procedures. Leukemia, as a rule, is accompanied by a decrease in hemoglobin.
- Dietary nutrition for blood leukemia is necessary to remove provocation, which can worsen the condition.
- Vegetables should be eaten, after peeling.
- You can not take "stand-by" food, it must be freshly prepared.
- Dairy products having a prefix "bio" in the name are forbidden.
- You can take only sterile food, exclude the purchase of semi-finished products or products on street trays.
- Remove from the ration:
- spicy,
- fried,
- canned
- and pickled food.
- Food is better to take a warm and mashed to the state of mashed potatoes.
Treatment of acute leukemia
Complex treatment of acute blood leukemia in adults, combining chemotherapy, perhaps, radiation with supporting procedures, can bring stable remission, and even complete cure.
If deficiency of some cells is observed, the patient can be assigned a transfusion of platelet or erythrocyte mass. If there is no acute need, there is no substitution therapy.
If after a treatment is relapsed again, most often, to stop the disease is a replanting of healthy stem cells.
Treatment of chronic
If the disease is not started, then stabilization of the condition can occur without chemotherapy. At later stages, chemotherapy is used, and radiotherapy may also be prescribed.
Is it possible to cure the disease?
Medicine already knows how to cure leukemia. Particularly amenable to this is the children's body.
Long-term treatment is required and close monitoring of the patient after it, so as not to miss the renewal of the disease.
Forecast
Patients with acute leukemia in childhood with timely treatment have 95% of cases of complete healing. This is when, for five years, the illness did not remind me of myself. Adults have a recovery rate of 75%.
If there is an exacerbation and remission is achieved again, such patients are given a bone marrow transplant. After this procedure, a normal life span of approximately 65% of patients remains.
Preventative measures
To avoid pathology, it is necessary:
- to choose a place of residence with the environment as safe as possible,
- patients whose relatives had cancer should give blood every six months for examination;
- the same recommendation applies to people who have gene breakdowns exceeding the norm.