What Medicines Can Be Used to Treat Leukemia?
Q:
What medicines can be used to treat leukemia?
A:
A variety of medicines are often used to treat leukemia. Different medicines are used to treat specific type of your disease.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
Chemotherapy medicines: asparaginase, blinatumomab, clofarabine, daunorubicin, doxorubicin, methotrexate, nelarabine, or vincristine
Corticosteroids: dexamethasone or prednisone
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
Chemotherapy medicines: cytarabine, daunorubicin, idarubicin, or mitoxantrone
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL)
Chemotherapy medicines: daunorubicin or idarubicin
Other medicines: arsenic trioxide and all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA).
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
Chemotherapy medicines: bendamustine, chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, or vincristine
Corticosteroids: prednisone
Monoclonal antibodies: alemtuzumab or rituximab
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
Chemotherapy medicines: cyclophosphamide or cytarabine
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors: dasatinib, imatinib, or nilotinib
*Patients with CML who canât have stem cell transplants and take tyrosine kinase inhibitors may be given busulfan, hydroxyurea, or interferon alfa (with or without cytarabine).
These are medicines that can be used to treat leukemia. Talk to your doctor and find the best one for you.
Keywords: leukemia medicine