what happens?
Even though remission means that there is no obvious evidence of leukaemia cells in the blood or bone marrow, there may still be many leukaemia cells hidden away in the body. Even if they can't be seen by the specialist down the microscope, special tests can identify the presence of these hidden cells. For this reason, further treatment called intensification is needed. This treatment is given in different chunks or 'blocks', so that the leukaemia cells don't have a chance to get used to the drugs (a term called drug resistance).
Intensification treatment varies according to your risk category and how quickly you went into remission. One or two blocks of treatment are usually needed, but if your cancer is high risk then you might have more blocks or additional drugs added to your treatment. The drugs will be alternated between each block to avoid the risk of drug resistance.
Intensification takes several months and you will receive treatment as an outpatient, along with perhaps the occasional hospital stay.
which drugs are used?
Vincristine, asparaginase, daunarubicin (or idarubicin) cyclophosphamide, cytarabine, etoposide, mercaptopurine.
are there any side effects?
Chemo does cause side effects. There is information about the specific ones in the chemotherapy section.
