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(from a donor) or autologous (patients own) stem cell transplant. Stem cell transplants
have been found to reduce the risk of leukemia coming back more than standard
chemo, but they are also more likely to have serious complications, including an
increased risk of death from treatment.
Older patients or those in poor health may not be able to tolerate such intensive
consolidation treatment. Often, giving them more intensive therapy raises the risk of
serious side effects (including treatment-related death) without providing much more of
a benefit. These patients may be treated with:
1 or 2 cycles of higher dose cytarabine (usually not quite as high as in younger
patients)
1 or 2 cycles of standard dose cytarabine, possibly along with idarubicin,
daunorubicin, or mitoxantrone
Non-myeloablative stem cell transplant (mini-transplant)
It is not always clear which treatment option is best for consolidation. Each has pros and
cons. Doctors look at several different factors when recommending what type of therapy
a patient should get. These include:
How many courses (cycles) of chemo it took to bring about a remission. If it
took more than one course, some doctors recommend that the patient get a more
intensive program, which might include a stem cell transplant.
The availability of a brother, sister, or an unrelated donor who matches the
patients tissue type. If a close enough tissue match is found, an allogeneic
(donor) stem cell transplant may be an option, especially for younger patients.
The potential of collecting leukemia-free bone marrow cells from the
patient. If lab tests show that a patient is in remission, collecting stem cells from the
patients bone marrow or blood for an autologous stem cell transplant may be an
option. Stem cells collected from the patient would be purged (treated in the lab to
try to remove or kill any remaining leukemia cells) to lower the chances of relapse.
The presence of one or more adverseprognostic factors, such as certain gene or
chromosome changes, a very high initial white blood cell count, AML that develops
from a previous blood disorder or after treatment for an earlier cancer, or spread to
the central nervous system. These factors might lead doctors to recommend more
aggressive therapy, such as a stem cell transplant. On the other hand, for people
with good prognostic factors, such as favorable gene or chromosome changes, many
doctors might advise holding off on a stem cell transplant unless the disease recurs.
The patients age. Older patients may not be able to tolerate some of the severe
side effects that can occur with high-dose chemo or stem cell transplants.
The patients wishes. There are many issues that revolve around quality of life that
must be discussed. An important issue is the higher chance of early death from highdose chemo or a stem cell transplant. This and other issues must be discussed
between the patient and the doctor.
Stem cell transplants are intensive treatments with real risks of serious complications,
including death, and their exact role in treating AML is not always clear. Some doctors
feel that if the patient is healthy enough to withstand the procedure and a compatible
donor is available, an allogeneic transplant offers the best chance for long-term
survival. Others feel that studies have not yet shown this conclusively, and that in some
cases a transplant should be reserved in case the leukemia comes back after standard
treatment. Still others feel that stem cell transplants should be given if the leukemia is
likely to come back based on certain gene or chromosome changes. Research in this
area continues to see which AML patients get the most benefit from stem cell transplant
and what is the best transplant procedure.
3. Research
-Complementary - Complementary therapies are used in addition to your hospital treatment, not
instead. They aim to improve mental and physical wellbeing. Many people find the experience of having the
complementary therapy itself pleasant.
Complementary therapies cannot cure your lymphoma be suspicious of promises that they can or might.
Many people do find they help them to relax and cope with their feelings and emotions though.
Some research suggests that complementary therapies may also help to:
Massage therapy
Massage is a popular complementary therapy that uses touch and pressure to work the muscles and soft
tissues. It can also give your blood circulation a boost. It can help your lymphatic system get rid of waste,
but does not treat or cure your lymphoma.
In general, doctors advise you to:
avoid areas of the body that are the focus of any active treatment (e.g. radiotherapy)
ask the therapist to keep the pressure light avoid heavy massage techniques such as Swedish
Acupuncture
Acupuncture uses fine needles, which are inserted into parts of your body. There is some evidence that
acupuncture can help with nausea and vomiting as side effects of chemotherapy. It may also provide some
pain relief. Sometimes, acupuncture is offered by the NHS but mostly you will have to pay for it. As with all
complementary therapies, speak to a member of your medical team before you decide whether to have
acupuncture if you have a low platelet or white blood cell count, you could be at greater risk of bleeding
or infection.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy uses essential oils (that come from plants and flowers) to improve your wellbeing.
Aromatherapy can be used alongside other complementary therapies such as massage and acupuncture.
More research is needed to look specifically at the effects of aromatherapy on improving quality of life for
cancer patients. There is, however, some evidence that it may help to bring down anxiety and pain levels in
the short-term.
Art therapy
Art therapy helps people to express their thoughts and feelings through art forms such as painting, sculpture,
drama, poetry and dance. There is little research into how art therapy helps people affected by cancer but
some studies show it reduces tiredness. Also, people do often say that it helps to improve their
emotional wellbeing.
Music therapy
He idea behind music therapy is that we all respond to music. Music therapists help people to connect
with music as a way of expressing themselves. Although more research is needed, there is some evidence that
music therapy may help people living with cancer by lowering pain levels and anxiety. It may also help to lift
your mood and improve your quality of life.
Hypnotherapy
During hypnotherapy, your body is very relaxed but your mind is still active. Although you go into a trance-like
state, you remain fully in control a bit like when you are in a daydream. Research shows that hypnotherapy
may help with nausea and vomiting as a side effect of chemotherapy. It may also help to reduce your sense
of pain.
Meditation
Meditation helps to calm the mind and body. There are lots of different types of meditation many of
them involve movement and all of them encourage relaxation.
-Alternative medicine
Ginger- is a traditional treatment used for nausea. It has been used for pregnancy-associated nausea. It
Ayurvedic medicine, from India, which focuses on balancing the mind, body, and
spirit
Chinese medicine, which is based on the opposing forces yin and yang
Homeopathy, which uses small doses of medicines to help the body heal itself
Naturopathic medicine, which allows the body to heal itself without the use of
substances
Bendamustine injection may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these
symptoms are severe or do not go away:
nausea
vomiting
diarrhea
heartburn
constipation
stomach pain or swelling
sores or white patches in the mouth
dry mouth
bad taste in the mouth or difficulty tasting food
loss of appetite
weight loss
headache
anxiety
depression
difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
back, bone, joint, arm or leg pain
dry skin
sweating
night sweats
Pralatrexate injection may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of
these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
nausea
vomiting
diarrhea
constipation
decreased appetite
tiredness
weakness
rash
itching
night sweats
stomach, back, arm, or leg pain
swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
Targeted therapy
What types of targeted therapies might be available in the future?
Drug development is a long process. New drugs have to undergo
rigorous tests to demonstrate that their potential benefits outweigh
their potential risks before they can be approved. As scientists learn
more about how lymphoma develops and the changes in lymphoma
cells that make them grow out of control, new ways to kill lymphoma
cells will be developed. Several targeted drugs (described in this
information) are already beginning to be used in people with
lymphoma. Many more are in development and the number of
treatment options available to people with lymphoma will increase in
the future.
As their effectiveness has not yet been determined, in this information
we havent included drugs that are not yet approved for use in people
with lymphoma. Many of the drugs in clinical trials do not show enough
benefit to undergo further testing. Some of the new ways to target
lymphoma cells that are being tested in clinical trials are described in
the section on other targets for new lymphoma drugs. The other
targets section also includes drugs that have been approved for use in
people with lymphoma in the US but not yet in Europe.
For the first dose, a small amount of drug is given, starting at a lower
rate of infusion than normal and increasing gradually. If you tolerate
the drug well, you will get your first full dose a week later. For the next
doses:
Cells receive signals that keep them alive and make them divide.
These signals are sent along 1 or more pathways. Blocking either the
signal or a key part of the pathway can make cells die or stop them
from growing. Certain signalling pathways are more important in some
types of lymphoma than in others. Scientists dont yet fully understand
how all the various pathways are linked.
Ibrutinib (Imbruvica)
Monoclonal therapy- One way the immune system attacks foreign substances in
the body is by making large numbers of antibodies. An antibody is a protein that
sticks to a specific protein called an antigen. Antibodies circulate throughout the
body until they find and attach to the antigen. Once attached, they can recruit other
parts of the immune system to destroy the cells containing the antigen.
Researchers can design antibodies that specifically target a certain antigen, such as
one found on cancer cells. They can then make many copies of that antibody in the
lab. These are known as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).
Monoclonal antibodies are used to treat many diseases, including some types of
cancer. To make a monoclonal antibody, researchers first have to identify the right
antigen to attack. For cancer, this is not always easy, and so far mAbs have proven
to be more useful against some cancers than others.