Leukemia (CLL): Treatment
Leukemia (CLL)
Treatment
Treatment options for leukemia vary greatly and there have been a number of major advances recently.
Treatment: An Overview
The Age Factor
CLL cannot be cured but there are several options when it comes to the initial treatment. According to Dr. Matthew Davids, the Associate Director of the Center for CLL at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the standard treatment route will be some form of chemo-immunotherapy. Typically, a chemo-immunotherapy regimen is given as initial therapy for six months at a time. Any treatment lasting longer than... Read More
For patients diagnosed with CLL, the go-to treatment option is usually some form of chemo-immunotherapy. But this is not an option for all patients.
Treatment: Oral Medications
For patients diagnosed with CLL, the go-to treatment option is usually some form of chemo-immunotherapy. But this is not an option for all patients.
Monoclonal Antibodies for CLL
Monoclonal Antibodies have been used as CLL treatment for at least twenty years. The medication targets a protein on CLL cells called CD20. Dr. Nicole Lamanna, a leukemia specialist at Columbia University Medical Center says some patients experience minor side effects when they initially begin taking this kind of intravenous medication. Doctors will start patients off with a pre-medication to get... Read More
Obinutuzumab
[summary] The drug obinutuzumab, recommended as a treatment option for people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), is now being combined with other agents in certain treatment plans to potentially increase its effectiveness. Obinutuzumab is a type of drug called a monoclonal antibody. It works by targeting a CD20 antigen, a protein found on B cells (which, in the case of CLL, are cancerous). T... Read More