Once your child is diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) doctors will start them on chemotherapy right away. Chemotherapy is the first line of treatment for children with AML. Intensive chemotherapy is important to help your child get back into remission.
Your child is treated with an intensified course of chemotherapy over a short period of time, usually about five to six months. Generally, children with AML stay in the hospital for the entire time during treatment, due to their increased risk of contracting infections.
Your child’s chemotherapy protocol is divided into two main phases, which differ in length and type of medicine that is used. The aim of each phase is to destroy as many leukemia cells as possible. The phases are:
- Induction. This includes two cycles of chemotherapy, each lasting about 28 days.
- Consolidation, which involves two or three more cycles of chemotherapy.
If your child has Down syndrome and is diagnosed with AML, they follow a less intense treatment protocol.
Radiation therapy
Children with AML are generally not treated with radiation therapy.
Bone marrow transplant (BMT)
BMT may be considered for children who:
- do not respond well to chemotherapy.
- have high-risk AML.
- relapse.
Chemotherapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL)
Chemotherapy for APL is less intense than other forms of AML. Treatment is divided into three different phases, which differ in length and type of medicine that is used. The phases are:
- Induction. This includes one cycle of chemotherapy, lasting between 28 days up to a maximum of 60 days.
- Consolidation, which involves four cycles of chemotherapy with each lasting 8 weeks.
- Maintenance phase may be included, depending on risk stratification.
There is no central nervous system (CNS)-directed therapy or radiation included.