Read article About chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukaemia
This page tells you about chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). There is information about
About chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukaemia
Chemotherapy uses anti cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells. You usually have chemotherapy directly into your bloodstream for AML. To give chemotherapy directly into the blood, you have a central line, a PICC line or a portacath put in. These are thin plastic tubes that go into a large vein in your chest.
The tubes can be attached to a bag of fluid (a drip) that gives the chemotherapy. A nurse can also take blood samples from the tube or give antibiotics using a syringe. You have the tube put in under local or general anaesthetic. It stays in for as long as you need it.
Getting rid of the AML (induction)
Your first treatment aims to get rid of all signs of the leukaemia (remission). You have several different chemotherapy drugs in cycles of treatment. You have treatment for a few days, then a rest period. Then you may have more treatment, and so on. The treatment causes side effects. You may need to stay in hospital for about a month while you have this treatment and then recover from it.
Treatment to stop AML coming back (consolidation)
When your leukaemia has gone into remission you have treatment to stop it coming back (consolidation treatment). You may have high doses of one of the chemotherapy drugs that you had as part of your induction treatment. Or you may have intensive treatment, with a bone marrow or stem cell transplant.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the Treating AML section.
Chemotherapy uses anti cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells. They work by disrupting the growth of cancer cells. As they circulate in the blood, they can reach cancer cells wherever they are in your body.
You usually have chemotherapy directly into your bloodstream for acute myeloid leukaemia. The drugs will depend on the type of AML you have. To give chemotherapy directly into the blood, you have a central line, a PICC line or a portacath put in. These are thin plastic tubes that go into your chest and into one of the largest veins in your body.
You have the tube put into your chest under local or general anaesthetic. The last 6 inches or so of the tube hangs out of your chest. The tube has a clamp and a cap to keep it sealed when it is not in use. The tube stays in for as long as you need it. A nurse will show you how to look after it and keep it clean. There is information about central lines, PICC lines and portacaths in our cancer drug section.
A nurse attaches a bag of fluid (a drip) to the tube to give the chemotherapy. The tubes can also be used to give drug injections or take blood samples.
Older patients having maintenance treatment sometimes have cytarabine chemotherapy as a small injection just under the skin.
Most people who have chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukaemia have to stay in hospital. This is because
- It is demanding treatment
- You will have side effects that the hospital staff can help to control
- You may need antibiotics into a vein to treat infection
Your treatment is in two phases
Getting rid of the AML (induction)
Your first treatment aims to get your leukaemia into remission. Remission means there are no leukaemia cells in your blood or bone marrow. This phase of treatment is called induction therapy or remission induction.
You usually have 2 or more different chemotherapy drugs in cycles of treatment. You have treatment for a few days, then a rest period. After the rest period, you may have more treatment, and so on. The treatment causes side effects. You can find out about chemotherapy drugs for AML and their side effects in this section.
Your doctors and nurses will give you treatments to reduce side effects. For example, you will be likely to get infections or have bleeding. So you will need to have antibiotics and blood transfusions. You may need to stay in hospital for about a month while you have this treatment and then recover from it.
Treatment to stop AML coming back (consolidation)
The second phase of AML treatment is called consolidation treatment. You have this when your leukaemia has gone into remission. There are different types of consolidation treatment. You may have high doses of one of the chemotherapy drugs that you had as part of your induction treatment. Or you may have intensive treatment, with a bone marrow or stem cell transplant.
For detailed information about chemotherapy, look at the main chemotherapy section. It explains the treatment including
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