Leukemia Treatment Options in Central New York

Chemotherapy for Leukemia

Many individuals with leukemia receive chemotherapy, which uses drugs to kill leukemia cells. Depending on the leukemia type, patients may be given a single drug or a combination of two or more drugs. Chemotherapy can be administered in several different ways:

Systemic Chemotherapy

Chemo drugs for leukemia are often injected or infused into a vein (IV). Typically, a thin, flexible tube (catheter) is placed in a large vein, often in the upper chest or through a surgically implanted port. This method is beneficial for patients who require multiple IV treatments, as it minimizes discomfort and prevents vein and skin damage from repeated injections.

Additionally, some drugs can be injected into a muscle or under your skin, or taken by mouth. These drugs enter your bloodstream and can reach leukemia cells throughout your body.

Intrathecal Chemotherapy

Many chemotherapy drugs struggle to reach the area around the brain and spinal cord, known as the blood-brain barrier. If leukemia cells are found in the cerebrospinal fluid, the doctor may recommend intrathecal chemotherapy. This method involves injecting drugs directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, which can be administered during a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) or through a special catheter called an Ommaya reservoir, which is placed under the scalp.  

Outpatient Chemotherapy in the Syracuse Area

HOA patients receive chemotherapy at one of our cancer centers in the Syracuse area. Chemotherapy is given in cycles, meaning you will go through a treatment period followed by a rest period. Depending on the type of leukemia, treatment cycles may be administered in phases:

• Induction (remission induction): short and intensive, usually lasts about a month
• Consolidation (intensification): also intensive, usually lasts a few months
• Maintenance (post-consolidation): less intensive, usually lasts about 2 years

Some patients may need to stay in the hospital during more intensive phases of treatment, especially if a bone marrow transplant is needed.

Immunotherapy for Leukemia

Some people with leukemia receive treatments called biological therapy or immunotherapy. This type of treatment boosts the body's immune system to better fight against the disease.

The two main types of immunotherapy used for leukemia include:

• Monoclonal antibody therapies: These lab-made proteins bind to cancer cells and help the immune system kill leukemia cells. This treatment is administered intravenously at a doctor's office, clinic, or hospital.
• CAR T cell therapy: This therapy uses the patient's T cells (a type of immune system cell) to attack specific proteins on cancer cells. T cells are taken from the patient, and special receptors are added to their surface in the laboratory to create chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. These modified cells are then grown in the lab and infused back into the patient.

Radiation Therapy for Leukemia

Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells. While it is typically not the primary treatment for leukemia, it may be used in the following situations:

• To treat leukemia that has spread outside the bone marrow and blood, such as to the brain and spinal fluid, or to the testicles.
• To prepare the body for a stem cell transplant.
• To help shrink a tumor that may be causing pain and discomfort, such as a tumor pressing on the trachea (windpipe) and causing breathing issues.
• To manage pain in a bone infiltrated by leukemia if chemotherapy has not provided relief.
• To reduce the size of an organ that is pressing on another organ (e.g., an enlarged spleen pressing on the stomach).

At the Hematology-Oncology Associates (HOA), your cancer care team will include a radiation oncologist who specializes in determining the appropriate type and dosage of radiation therapy based on your individual case.