Leukaemia: There's Still Hope For Cure!

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Blood Cancer: Leukaemia

Leukaemia is a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells. It can affect both children and adults. There are two main types of leukaemia: acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Leukaemia can also be classified as chronic or acute, depending on the rate of cancer cell growth.

Leukaemia must be detected and treated immediately. The treatment of leukaemia depends on the type of leukaemia, stage of the disease and other factors such as the patient's age and overall health. Let's learn more about these aspects.

Factors Affecting Treatment

• Type of leukaemia: Different types of leukaemia require different treatments. For example, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia may require more aggressive treatment than acute myeloid leukaemia.

• Stage of the disease: The stage of the disease is also important in determining the appropriate treatment. Early-stage leukaemia may require different treatment than advanced-stage leukaemia.

• Age: The choice of treatment is influenced by the patient's age. Treatment that is appropriate for adult patients might not be appropriate for children.

• Overall health: The choice of treatment is also influenced by the patient's general health, including whether or not the patient has other chronic diseases.

By considering these factors, an effective and appropriate treatment regimen can be selected for leukaemia patients.

Treatment of Leukaemia

1. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy treatment involves the use of drugs to kill cancer cells that are growing inside the patient's body. These drugs can be taken orally or injected into a vein. Drugs commonly used to treat leukaemia include methotrexate, cytarabine and daunorubicin.

2. Targeted Therapy

This cancer treatment uses drugs to specifically target cancer cells without damaging normal cells in the patient's body. Drugs used in this treatment include imatinib and dasatinib, which are used to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia.

These drugs aim to block the growth of cancer cells and stop white blood cells from growing uncontrollably.

3. Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-powered X-rays or gamma rays to kill cancer cells. This treatment is usually done in conjunction with chemotherapy to reduce the growth of cancer cells and improve the chances of recovery.

For example, in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, patients receive chemotherapy first and then radiation therapy.

4. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT)

This treatment procedure involves replacing damaged or abnormal blood cells with healthy blood cells from another source, such as bone marrow or stem cells.

HSCT is used to treat aggressive and severe leukaemia, as well as patients who do not respond to other treatments.

The HSCT procedure may involve the use of the patient's own bone marrow (autologous HSCT), bone marrow from another person (allogeneic HSCT) or stem cells from a newborn baby's umbilical cord.

Patients undergoing HSCT might need a prolonged healing period and careful monitoring to prevent complications.

5. Blood Transfusion

Blood transfusion involves giving blood or its components to leukaemia patients. The patients may also require blood transfusions to increase the number of red blood cells or replace lost clotting factors.

Blood transfusion may need to be done periodically, depending on the patient's needs.

6. Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy uses the body's immune system to fight cancer. There are several types of immunotherapy that can be used to treat leukaemia. These therapies comprise both those that use a patient's own cells to fight the illness and those that alter the immune system to recognise and eradicate cancer cells.

Types of immunotherapy can be further divided into:

• Monoclonal Antibody Therapy

This involves the use of synthetic antibodies that are implanted into the patient's body. These antibodies identify leukaemia cells and destroy them by attacking the proteins on their surface. This therapy is usually administered through an injection into the vein.

• T-Cell Therapy

T-cell therapy, T-cells from the patient's body are extracted and processed in a lab to create T-cells that are specifically designed to combat leukaemia cells.

The patient's body is then injected with these T-cells once more. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy and limited antigen receptor T-cell therapy are the two types of T-cell therapies available for leukaemia.

• Vaccine Therapy

A form of treatment known as vaccine therapy uses cells or biological elements to activate the patient's immune system and combat cancer cells. The use of vaccine therapy typically occurs in conjunction with other therapies like radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

Here are some vaccine therapies that are used in the management of leukaemia:

1. Leukaemia Cell Vaccine

A leukaemia cell vaccine is a type of cancer therapy that modifies a patient's own leukaemia cells and administers them as a vaccine to activate the patient's immune system to fight cancer cells.

The use of this vaccine increases treatment efficacy and lowers the chance of cancer recurrence.

The vaccine production process involves taking leukaemia cells from the patient, followed by modification and addition of immune stimulants before the leukaemia cells are reintroduced back into the patient's body.

2. Dendritic Cell Vaccine

Leukaemia can also be treated with dendritic cell vaccine. For this vaccine, the patient's own dendritic cells are modified to activate the patient's immune system against leukaemia cells.

Immune cells called dendritic cells work to recognise and eliminate foreign substances in the body, including cancer cells.

Dendritic cells are removed from the patient during the vaccine production process, altered, and immune stimulants are added, and then the dendritic cells are returned to the patient's body.

3. Peptide Vaccine

A peptide vaccine is a specific kind of vaccine that includes peptides that help the patient's immune system recognise and eliminate cancer cells.

Leukaemia cells from the patient are removed as part of the vaccine production process, and these cells are then used to create peptides that will be injected back into the bloodstream.

4. Palliative Care

​Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of patients who experience pain or uncontrolled symptoms due to leukaemia. Palliative treatment may include taking medication to reduce pain, reducing fatigue or increasing appetite.

Supporting the emotional and psychological needs of patients and their families may also be a part of palliative care.

Side Effects and How to Manage Them

Here are some possible side effects that may occur during leukaemia treatment and ways to manage them:

• Hair Loss: Many leukaemia patients experience hair loss during treatment, which can make them feel less confident. Patients can overcome this issue by wearing hats or scarves, or choosing to wear wigs/hairpieces.

• Fatigue:  Patients undergoing treatment for leukaemia may experience weakness and a lack of energy. To improve blood circulation, patients can try to get enough rest and do some light exercise.

• Loss of Appetite: Leukaemia treatment can also cause patients to lose their appetite. Patients can try to choose easily digestible foods such as fruits and vegetables and take supplements if necessary.

• Recurring Infections: Patients are more vulnerable to infections as a result of a weakened immune system caused by leukaemia treatment. Patients should practise good personal hygiene and take infection prevention measures, such as staying away from sick people and crowded places, to address this issue.

• Bleeding: Patients are also prone to bleeding due to leukaemia treatment and need to take precautions to reduce the risk of bleeding. This includes avoiding activities involving injury and taking medication to help improve blood clotting.

• Skin Problems: Some leukaemia patients are also at risk of developing skin problems during treatment. To prevent this, patients should ensure their skin is clean and use appropriate moisturisers to reduce skin problems.

Cancer Is Not a Death Sentence

Despite the fact that leukaemia can be a terrifying condition, there are numerous treatments available to help lessen and regulate its effects. It's crucial to realise that there isn't a single "one-size-fits-all" ideal treatment for this cancer. To combat leukaemia, each patient requires a different and unique treatment regimen. 

Leukaemia patients can enjoy a good quality of life with the opportunity to live long with a good treatment plan, along with support from family and friends. 

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