This aims to bring about remission, which is when almost all of the leukaemia cells in the bone marrow and the blood have been killed. Further treatment is then needed to completely get rid of the disease.
what happens?
You usually start remission induction pretty quickly after finding out that you have ALL and as soon as the doctors have completed the necessary tests.
You'll be admitted to hospital for treatment. This might be a specialist 'teenage unit' (of which there are eight already established and more in planning) or it might be an adult ward or a children's ward.
The hospital staff need a way to get drugs into your bloodstream as well as take blood from you, so you will have some sort of 'line' put in. This goes into one of your main veins and will usually be either a central line (Hickman® or Groshong®) an implantable port (portacath), or a PICC line.
treatment for remission induction involves:
- steroids
- chemo - vincristine, asparaginase, daunorubicin or idarubicin
- Allopurinol or Rasburicase (drugs to prevent kidney problems that can occur when lots of leukaemia cells are destroyed all at once)
- doctors will often start you on allopurinol straight away, or, if you have a very high white count, rasburicase.
You need to stay in hospital during this time, both to have the chemo and so that the doctors can check how things are going. Remission therapy can take anything from 3 weeks to 2 months or more. This can be really difficult. If you would like more information on how to cope, have a look in our deal with it section.
are there side effects?
Chemo does cause side effects which will vary a little from person to person. For more information about these, have a look in the treatment section for each drug.
