Is There Treatment for Blood Cancer? Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy, and Bone Marrow Transplantation

In the past, blood cancer was considered one of the most dangerous cancers, with very limited prospects of recovery. Many medical advances have occurred in recent decades, and patients now have more options than ever. There are various treatments for blood cancer. The treatment doctors recommend will depend on the type of cancer you have, your health circumstances, and your wishes. Here, we review the range of treatments currently available for its different types and stages.

Identifying the right blood cancer treatment can take time

Not many people know this, but some people with blood cancer do not need immediate treatment, and some will never need it. Different types of the cancer spread very slowly and sometimes do not progress at all. In such cases, the doctor is very likely to recommend waiting. Naturally, you will remain under observation with regular physical examinations and blood tests throughout this period, but active treatment will probably not yet be given. It is important to stress that this approach does not mean the cancer is untreatable. It simply means that immediate treatment currently offers no advantage and that the options can be considered calmly and carefully. If the cancer is not causing troubling symptoms, this approach also avoids the side effects of cancer treatment until it is genuinely needed.

Chemotherapy

This is an important preventive treatment intended to kill cancer cells and slow the disease's development. Chemotherapy is often delivered directly into a vein. The drugs can circulate through the body in the bloodstream and kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is usually given by infusion. The process can take several hours and sometimes more than a day. Treatment often takes place in an outpatient clinic. This means you can go home afterward, and hospitalization is usually unnecessary.

Chemotherapy is generally administered in cycles, with rest periods without treatment in between. For example, chemotherapy once a day for five days, followed by three weeks without treatment. That is one cycle. The number of cycles required depends on the type of blood cancer and the drugs prescribed. Although chemotherapy can kill cancer cells, it also damages healthy cells in your body. This causes chemotherapy's side effects, including hair loss.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a way of treating cancer that uses your immune system to attack it. Any cancer treatment that harnesses the immune system to help it work can be classified as immunotherapy. Several immunotherapy drugs activate your body's immune system to find and kill cancer cells. The drug attaches to a cancer cell, making it easier for your immune system to locate it and recognize it as a threat. The immune system then attacks the cancer cell. One example of advanced immunotherapy is CAR-T therapy, in which your T cells, white blood cells that normally fight infection in the body, are genetically modified to improve their ability to locate and eliminate cancer cells.

Bone marrow or stem cell transplantation

In this process, the blood-forming stem cells in your body are replaced with new, healthy stem cells. Stem cells are cells at an early stage of development, from which all the body's tissues begin to grow while we are still embryos. Cancer disrupts the development of your blood cells and turns them cancerous. Receiving donated bone marrow for transplantation can treat certain blood cancers. The cancer cells are eliminated with chemotherapy, and the healthy tissue produces new, healthy cells.

Bone marrow donation can be obtained by collection from peripheral blood or by surgically harvesting tissue directly from the bone. More than ever, medical technologies now allow most required donations to be collected using the first method. This less invasive process allows more donors than ever to take part in this important tissue-collection project. It is now one of the most effective treatments, and awareness of the importance of donation continues to grow.

This is general news information and is not a substitute for personal advice from a doctor or dietitian.