There are a number of ways to treat leukaemia. The main ones are chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapies. Some people have surgery, a stem cell transplant, leukapheresis or immunotherapy. If you have leukaemia, you might need one of these, or a combination of them.Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker about which treatment you might have. You can also discuss including traditional healing, bush medicines and cultural practices into your treatment plan.SurgerySurgery is not usually used to treat leukaemia, but some people with leukaemia may need to have their spleen removed. This is because the spleen has swollen up and is pressing on nearby organs.Your spleen is in your belly, under your ribs on the left. You can survive without a spleen.Surgery is a procedure that involves staying in hospital and having an anaesthetic and an operation.Yarn with your doctor, nurse, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker or social worker. If surgery requires you to travel away from home and your family, assistance is available for travel and accommodation for you and your family.Read more about surgery. RadiotherapyRadiotherapy, also called radiation therapy, uses X-rays to destroy cancer cells in one part of your body.Radiotherapy is not usually a major treatment for leukaemia, but it is sometimes used to treat leukaemia that has spread to the central nervous system or testicles, or for other reasons. Radiotherapy can be used to help pain in bones where leukaemia has spread.Most people who have radiotherapy have it 5 days a week for 4-6 weeks, and each session can take 15 minutes. But it might be different for you.You can only have radiotherapy in cities and some big towns – see this list. If your doctor thinks radiotherapy would help, and you don’t live near a radiotherapy site, assistance is available for travel and accommodation for you and your family. Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker.Read more about radiotherapy.ChemotherapyChemotherapy, or ”chemo”, involves you taking strong drugs to kill the cancer cells.Many people have chemo in cycles – such as every day for two weeks, then a week off. Or two days every two weeks, or one day every three weeks. Some people have chemotherapy tablets at home, but most need to go to a hospital or clinic to get chemo through a drip.  You may also need to have chemo at the same time as the radiotherapy. But you usually don’t need to stay in hospital for chemo.Most chemo comes as injections into your arm or hand that drip in over a few hours and some need you to take home a small bottle home for two days then come back to take it off again. If you’re having chemo, your doctor will tell you exactly how it will work for you.Chemo can make some people feel sick for a while, but there are things they can do to help. Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker. Mob who have had chemo say that combining medical treatment with traditional healing, bush medicine, Men’s Business, Women’s Business and cultural practices help with managing side effects.Read more about chemotherapy and side effects.Targeted therapiesTargeted therapies are newer drugs that try to stop the cancer growing. Targeted therapies attack cancer cells without harming healthy cells. If your doctor thinks they might help, here are some questions to ask. Read more about targeted therapy.Stem cell transplantStem cell transplant is also known as bone marrow transplant. Stem cell transplant usually happens after chemo. The chemo might be given in high doses, to kill all the cancer cells, and this can also destroy the bone marrow. A stem cell transplant can restore the bone marrow to allow new healthy cells to start being produced. The stem cells might be from your own body, or from someone who has donated theirs to be used.A stem cell transplant can mean a stay in hospital of 3-4 weeks. Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker.Read more about stem cell transplant.LeukapheresisLeukapheresis means you are hooked up to a machine through a needle placed in your arm. The procedure takes out cancer cells by passing some of your blood through the machine.   Read more about leukapheresis.ImmunotherapyImmunotherapy is treatment with drugs that help your immune system attack the cancer cells. Immunotherapy is given in your arm through a vein.  It is usually given in cycles of once every few weeks. You will need to go to a hospital or clinic to have this treatment.Read more about immunotherapy.