Photos of blood slides. Good information on the different types of blood cells, if you go to the hematopathology main page. The primary treatment for newly diagnosed childhood leukemia is combination chemotherapy. Radiation and bone marrow transplantation may be used in some cases. Maintenance is generally well tolerated by the patient.
Total therapy lasts from two to three years.
Intensive chemotherapy followed by bone marrow transplantation is becoming the first treatment chosen, especially when a suitable donor is available. Relapse, or recurrence of leukemia, can occur anytime during therapy or after completion of treatment. Treatment depends on the site of relapse, whether it is in the bone marrow, central nervous system, testes, or other locations. Aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatment, often followed bone marrow transplantation, are used to treat relapse of childhood leukemia. Most children with any form of leukemia, newly diagnosed or recurrent, enter a clinical trial, although some parents opt for the standard treatment.