Treatment:

The goal of treatment is to get the blood counts and the bone marrow back to normal. If this occurs, the cancer is said to be in remission.

If you have ALL, you will need chemotherapy. For the first round of chemotherapy, you may need to go to the hospital for 3 - 6 weeks. Later you may get chemotherapy on an outpatient basis. If you have a low white blood cell count, you may need to be placed in a room by yourself so you do not catch an infection.

Additional treatments depend on other symptoms. They may include:

• Transfusion of blood products, such as platelets or red blood cells, to fight thrombocytopenia and anemia
• Antibiotics to fight infection, especially if a fever occurs

If you go into remission, you may receive additional chemotherapy or radiation therapy to kill any cancer cells that are in the spinal fluid. You may also receive chemotherapy from time to time to prevent relapse. A bone marrow or stem cell transplant may also be recommended, especially if one of your siblings is proven to be a full match.

If your leukemia returns or does not respond to other treatments, a bone marrow or stem cell transplant is usually recommended.

Support Groups:

Patients can ease the stress of their illness by joining a support group where members share common experiences and problems.

See also: Cancer - support group

Expectations (prognosis):

Children usually have a better outcome than adults. Most adults go into complete remission. Without treatment, a person with ALL can expect to live for only about 3 months.

Complications:

• Bleeding
• Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)
• Relapse of ALL
• Severe infection

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if:

• You develop ALL-like symptoms
• You have ALL and you have a persistent fever or other signs of infection