Por Otto Rodriguez
MiamiDadeHealth.com
For the first time in more than four decades, there is new hope for leukemia patients in the form of four new agents that have been approved in recent months.
Though researchers have shown excitement about the prospects of treating leukemia with these new treatments they have said that there are still some unanswered questions about how they work with one another and what these medications mean for survival rates.
The new therapies available are Rydapt (midostaurin), Vyxeos (CPX-351), Mylotarg (gemtuzumab ozogamicin) and Idhifa (enasidenib).
Leukemia is a cancer of the body’s blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system. While some types of leukemia are more common in children, other forms of the disease occur mostly in adults.
Leukemia usually involves the white blood cells, which are potent infection fighters as they normally grow and divide in an orderly way, as the human body needs them. In those affected by the disease, the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells, which don’t function properly.
According to Mayo Clinic, some common leukemia signs and symptoms include fever or chills, persistent fatigue, weakness, frequent or severe infections, losing weight without trying, and swollen lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen, among others.
Treatment for leukemia can be complex, depending on the type and other health-related factors, but there are strategies and resources that can help to make the treatments more successful.
