To do this type of transplant, bone marrow is taken from the patient and treated with drugs to kill any cancer cells. The marrow is then frozen to save it. The patient is given high-dose chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy to destroy all of the remaining marrow. The frozen marrow that was saved is then thawed and given back to the patient through a needle in a vein to replace the marrow that was destroyed. A greater chance for recovery occurs if a doctor chooses a hospital which does more than 5 bone marrow transplantations per year.
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. If the spleen is swollen, a doctor may take out the spleen in an operation called a splenectomy. Treatment by stage Standard treatment may be considered because of its effectiveness in patients in past studies, or participation in a clinical trial may be considered. Most patients are not cured with standard therapy and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired. Clinical trials are on going in most parts of the country for patients with CML of any phase.