What Kinds Of Leukaemia Are Treated With Radiotherapy?
Leukaemia is a very particular category of cancer, as it is found not in one location in the body, but in the blood and bone marrow. It exists in various forms, not all of which are treated using radiotherapy.
То значи да наша центар за радиотерапију can treat some forms of leukaemia this way, while we will provide other treatments, such as chemotherapy, for other types.
Most cancers are specific to a certain area and are labelled as such, examples being lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, brain cancer and so on, although the specific forms will have their own names; for instance, brain tumours may be astrocytomas or oligodendrogliomas.
These cancers may, of course, spread through a process called metastasis, progressing from primary cancers located in one area of the body to secondary cancers, where cancerous cells will migrate and manifest elsewhere.
What Are The Different Types Of Leukaemia?
By contrast, as a blood and bone marrow cancer, леукемија by its very nature is found all over the body, wherever there are bones or blood vessels, but it does come in different forms. Уобичајени типови укључују:
- Хронична лимфоцитна леукемија (ЦЛЛ)
- Хронична мијелоична леукемија (ЦМЛ)
- Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML)
- Акутна мијелоична леукемија (АМЛ)
- Acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL)
- Акутна промијелоцитна леукемија (АПЛ)
- Hairy cell leukaemia (where abnormal white blood cells look hairy under a microscope)
All of them arise from mutations in the marrow, where both red and white blood cells are made. Each type of leukaemia affects different blood cells.
For example, AML is characterised by the rapid production of abnormal myeloid cells in the bone marrow, which interferes with the production of healthy blood cells, including white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.
Acute forms of leukaemia involve fast-progressing cancer, while chronic types see slower progression.
In most cases, treatment is carried out using chemotherapy. However, radiotherapy is often used to treat types like ALL, AML and CLL. It is not used for CML and some other, less common forms of leukaemia.
What Types Of Radiotherapy Are Used To Treat Leukaemia?
Different kinds of radiotherapy can be used in each case. For example, in the case of ALL, cranial radiotherapy may be used to prevent leukaemia cells from reaching the brain.
This is used because most forms of chemotherapy do not reach the brain, although there are means of delivering chemotherapy that can do this.
External beam radiotherapy can be used for total body irradiation treatment for some forms of leukaemia, which can be a precursor to a stem cell or bone marrow transplant.
У case of AML, whole body irradiation is often used ahead of stem cell treatment or a bone marrow transplant. Unlike other kinds of cancer, leukaemia cannot be removed by surgery in the way that a tumour may be excised.
Other reasons for using radiotherapy against AML include tackling a lump that has formed inside the bone marrow, sometimes known as a myeloid sarcoma, as well as for treatment on the brain and spinal cord if AML spreads there, although this is rare.
These types of radiotherapy differ from the stereotactic radiosurgery used for other forms of cancer, such as brain tumours or cancers located close to other sensitive organs.
In those cases, the purpose of using very precise radiation is to direct powerful beams at very specific locations. This maximises the impact on the cancer while minimising exposure for sensitive tissue nearby.
Full-body radiation does not work in the same way. In this case, the dose is lower to prevent serious harm to healthy tissue, while covering a wide area due to the fact that leukaemia will be present throughout the blood and marrow.
How Can You Prepare For Leukaemia Treatment?
If you have been diagnosed with leukaemia, our oncologists will talk you through the treatment options and processes. It may be that you will have chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or a combination of both.
As with any cancer treatment, we will seek to provide personalised care that will help you as an individual. This includes helping you with preparation, personal and moral support, practical issues and aftercare, as well as the treatment itself.
Among the factors determining your treatment will be:
- The type of leukaemia
- How early it has been diagnosed
- Твојих година
- Ваше опште здравље
- Ваша медицинска историја
- Genetic factors that may make certain therapies more or less effective
Part of the wider treatment programme will be help and advice for dealing with the последице of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which can both include symptoms such as nausea, hair loss and tiredness.
Whatever your diagnosis, we can provide the best private radiotherapy care for you, using the best expertise and the latest equipment, ensuring that we can deliver a tailored treatment plan to maximise the chances of giving you the best possible outcome.
Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy and neurosurgical treatments for leukaemia on the Amethyst Group website.
