Amazing Advances in Acute Leukemia
Treatment with Precision Therapy
“There is nothing more important to me
as a physician than your cancer treatment.
I’ve been in practice for over two
decades and have had the privilege of
telling many patients that there is life
beyond cancer. As president of The Center
for Cancer and Blood Disorders, I want to
lead by example, practicing a firm belief
that all patients should receive the finest
medical care available, with the same
concern and compassion as a cherished
member of the family.”
Ray Page, D.O., Ph.D.
President and Medical Oncologist
The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders
In general, to be given a diagnosis of acute leukemia is bad…really
bad! Acute Leukemias are not like the more commonly diagnosed
Chronic Leukemias, which we have come up with many sophisticated
and targeted therapies to turn them into more of a chronic disease,
giving many years of life.
Acute Leukemias, typically move very fast causing rapid bone marrow
failure, with bleeding, fatigue, and infections that can be imminently
life threatening unless treatment is initiated expediently.
Some acute leukemias, or “pre-leukemias” like myelodysplastic
syndrome (MDS), can be less proliferative and we can successfully
treat them in the office, often with just injections of chemo agents and
growth factors. However, most acute leukemias require urgent strong
chemotherapy given in the hospital over 5-7 days in a row.
The chemotherapy obliterates the leukemia, but also the healthy bone
marrow. So most patients end up in the hospital for a month getting
life saving supportive care with transfusions and powerful antibiotics.
Within that first month, some patients can actually die from the
complications of the chemotherapy. However, a month after chemo,
we recheck the bone marrow with the hopes of finding the recovery of
the normal bone marrow cells and no leukemia cells.
Then, patients must go through subsequent consolidation chemotherapy
treatments with similar chemotherapy regimens. Even further, some
patients depending on the nature of their leukemia, may proceed on
to bone marrow transplantation, getting even stronger doses of chemo
followed by the infusion of bone marrow stem cells from a matched
donor.
The bottom line of this message is that acute leukemia is very serious
business and life threatening. Researchers for decades have been
working on better therapies, but movement has been slow, but in 2018
we have some significant breakthroughs.
Just a few weeks ago, the American Society of Hematology convened
at their annual meeting in San Diego and very promising results were
presented in advancing the treatment of Acute Myelogenous
Leukemia (AML).
Schedule appointments by calling
817-596-0637 or online at
www.thecentertx.com
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I am very excited we are turning the corner in AML treatment!
To learn more about cancer care issues or to consult with a physician
about a cancer diagnosis, contact us at 817.596.0637.
For newly diagnosed AML patients over age 75 who cannot tolerate
induction chemo, another newly FDA approved ORAL precision
drug, glasdegib, can be given in combination with low doses of chemo
and double overall survival.
Over the past 2 decades by breaking apart and studying the human
genome we now have a much better understanding of the complex
cellular mechanisms that transform normal cells into acute leukemia.
Knowing the molecular targets, new “precision therapy” drugs have
been designed, tested in clinical trials and showing promising results.
There is an alphabet soup of targets, such as FLT3, MDM2, and IDH2.
The FDA just approved an ORAL precision drug, gilteritinib , for the
treatment of relapsed AML that has the FLT3 mutation.
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