Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in the vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the body. If the spleen is swollen, a doctor may take out the spleen in an operation called a splenectomy. This is only done in rare cases.
Biological therapy tries to get the body to fight cancer.
It uses materials made by the body or made in a laboratory to boost, direct, or restore the body's natural defenses against disease. Because infection often occurs in patients with CLL, a special substance called immunoglobulin, which contains antibodies, may be given to prevent infections. Sometimes a special machine is used to filter the blood to take out extra lymphocytes. This is called leukapheresis. Bone marrow transplantation is used to replace the bone marrow with healthy bone marrow.