Chemotherapy drugs act by interrupting a cell's growth and replication cycle in various ways. In treating leukemia, doctors often use more than one drug. Each drug acts on a different part of the cell cycle, so using more than one increases the likelihood that all leukemic cells will be affected, including those that might prove resistant to one drug or another.
The drugs used depend on several factors, including the type or subtype of disease, how far the disease has progressed, and your prognostic factors. Treatment for leukemia often involves more than one round of chemotherapy. For more information on chemotherapy in general and how it works, you may wish to look at patient and family education on Chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy drugs can also affect healthy cells, causing side effects. Possible side effects include hair loss, mouth sores, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, weight gain, low blood counts, susceptibility to infection, easy bruising, and bleeding gums. Many of these problems can be treated, so all side effects should be reported to a doctor or nurse.
Some drugs can also cause reproductive problems. About one-third of all women under the age of 40 who have chemotherapy go into permanent menopause. Of those over 40, more than 90 percent begin menopause. Some women experience temporary or permanent infertility or menstrual irregularities. Some drugs can also cause sterility in men. Male patients who want to have children in the future should talk to a doctor about possible effects from the drugs and ask if they have time to store sperm for use later. The need to begin treatment quickly may preclude this. At this time there is no effective method to freeze ova (female eggs). Scientists are exploring effective methods to preserve ova, which might allow women to have children in the later years after treatment. For the most up-to-date information, discuss this issue with your doctors and nurses.
Specific drugs are described in the drugs section of this program. The description covers basics such as other names for the drug and how it is given, early and late side effects, and when to call the doctor or nurse.
