Treatment of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Other Treatment Modalities for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Other treatment modalities which may be considered for patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) include:

• Splenectomy - As mentioned previously, splenomegaly (enlargement of the spleen) is the most common physical symptom observed in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. In rare cases, patients with a very enlarged, painful spleen may require surgical removal of the spleen (splenectomy).

• Leukapharesis - Some patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia may develop extremely high white blood cell counts which can interfere with normal blood flow to various organs of the body. Leukapharesis is a procedure used to physically reduce the number of white blood cells in which white blood cells (leukocytes) are removed from the blood and the remainder of the blood is then infused back into the patient.

• Donor Leukocyte Infusion - This procedure is usually reserved for patients who have undergone allogeneic stem cell transplantation but whose disease has recurred or relapsed. Donor leukocyte infusion (DLI) involves the infusion of white blood cells (leukocytes) from the original allogeneic stem cell donor into the patient. The donor's white blood cells contain immune cells that can recognize and kill the patient's leukemic cells - a phenomenon that is known as the "graft-versus-tumor" effect. Unfortunately, one of the potentially serious side-effects of DLI is graft-versus-host disease in which the donor's white blood cells recognize the recipient's cells as being "foreign" and attack the patient's own tissues.