Another type of autologous transplant is called a peripheral blood stem cell transplant. This procedure is called leukapheresis and usually takes 3 or 4 hours to complete. The stem cells are treated with drugs to kill any cancer cells and then frozen until they are transplanted to the patient. This procedure may be done alone or with an autologous bone marrow transplant. A greater chance for recovery occurs if the doctor chooses a hospital that does more than five bone marrow transplantations per year.
Biological therapy tries to get the body to fight cancer.
It uses materials made by the patient's body or made in a laboratory to boost, direct, or restore the body's natural defenses against disease. Biological therapy is sometimes called biological response modifier therapy or immunotherapy. Treatment by Stage Treatment for adult AML depends on the type of AML, the patient's age and overall health. Standard treatment may be considered based on its effectiveness in past studies, or participation in a clinical trial may be considered. Not all patients are cured with standard therapy, and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired.