Treatment
Five major approaches to the treatment of leukemia:
Oncologists administer these treatments in a variety of combinations. Each method has its advantages and drawbacks. It usually is worthwhile to get a second opinion about treatment before entering into a specific program; in some instances, a second opinion may be required by the patient's insurance company.
1. Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to kill leukemia cells using strong anti-cancer drugs. Chemotherapy may cause side effects and doctors are limited in how much it they can use.
Cancer therapy (chemotherapy, radiation therapy, etc.) can damage or destroy normal cells, as well as cancer cells. Many chemotherapeutic drugs, in particular, can harm rapidly dividing cells such as the blood-forming stem cells of the bone marrow. Yet high drug doses are needed to treat leukemia effectively. So what can be done?
2. Interferon therapy slows the reproduction of leukemia cells and promote the immune system to fight leukemia.
3. Radiation therapy kills cancer cells using targeted doses of radiation to the tumor. Radiation therapy may have side effects with extensive useage.
4. Stem Cell Transplantation (SCT) this transfers cells to the bone marrow and allows more intensive useage of radiation and chemotherapy.
5. Surgery usually is not used for treatment of leukema because by the time leukemia has been diagnosed the cancer has spread and cannot be surgically removed.
Treatment costs may be extremely expensive. For example, stem cell transplantation (SCT) is very costly (more than $100,000) and it may require a very long hospital stay. Many insurance companies may categorized stem cell treatment as an "experimental" procedure and will not cover the costs for this treatment.
If you think your leukemia may be caused by benzene exposure, then use our claims evaluation form. If you have a valid legal claim, then this may be able to cover all the costs of your benzene treatment and provide additional financial compensation.