Leukemia Treatment and Procedures

Explore advanced leukemia treatment options at Liv Hospital. From targeted therapies and CAR-T to haploidentical stem cell transplants using CD34+ selection.

Treatment and Procedures

Leukemia Treatment

Receiving a leukemia diagnosis is the beginning of a challenging journey, but it is a journey you do not have to walk alone. The goal of leukemia treatment at Liv Hospital is clear: to achieve a complete remission and, whenever possible, a permanent cure.

We move beyond the "one-size-fits-all" approach. By utilizing the genetic data gathered during your evaluation, we construct a personalized battle plan. This may range from oral targeted therapies for chronic conditions to high-intensity stem cell transplants for acute cases. Our integrated campus houses both specialized hematology wards and the LivMedCell Regenerative Medicine Center, ensuring that international patients have access to the latest FDA-approved protocols and cutting-edge cellular engineering under one roof.

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT)

For many patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) or high-risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), chemotherapy alone is not enough to prevent a relapse. A stem cell transplant (often called a Bone Marrow Transplant) replaces the diseased marrow with a healthy one.

Allogeneic Transplant (The Potential Cure)

This procedure involves using stem cells from a healthy donor. The new donor immune system takes over and attacks any remaining leukemia cells (the Graft-Versus-Leukemia effect).

• Matched Sibling Donor: The ideal scenario, but available for only ~25% of patients.
• Matched Unrelated Donor (MUD): Finding a genetic match from international registries.

The Liv Advantage: Haploidentical Transplants

What if you don't have a fully matched donor? This is a common barrier for international patients. Liv Hospital specializes in Haploidentical (Half-Match) Transplants.

• The Solution: We can use a donor who is only a 50% match typically a parent, a child, or a sibling.
• The Technology: Historically, half-match transplants carried high risks. However, using our advanced T-Cell Depletion techniques, we can "clean" the donor graft, removing the cells that cause rejection while keeping the stem cells that rebuild the blood. This makes transplants accessible to nearly every patient.

The Three Pillars of Medical Management

Before a transplant is considered, the first step is often to reduce the cancer burden using medication.

1. Chemotherapy: The Foundation

Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells.

• Induction Phase: The goal is to clear the blood and bone marrow of visible leukemia cells. This requires a hospital stay of several weeks due to the risk of infection.
• Consolidation Phase: Once in remission, further cycles are given to kill any "hidden" cells.
• Intrathecal Chemotherapy: For types like ALL, we inject drugs directly into the spinal fluid to prevent the cancer from hiding in the nervous system.

2. Targeted Therapy (Precision Medicine)

Unlike chemo, which affects all fast-growing cells, targeted drugs attack specific abnormalities.

• Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs): For CML and Ph+ ALL, pills like Imatinib or Dasatinib block the enzyme that tells cancer cells to grow. This has turned CML from a fatal disease into a manageable chronic condition.
• FLT3 and IDH Inhibitors: For AML patients with these specific mutations, adding these drugs to chemotherapy significantly improves survival rates.

3. Immunotherapy and CAR-T Cell Therapy

We engineer your own immune system to fight cancer.

• Monoclonal Antibodies: Drugs that "tag" leukemia cells so the immune system can find and eat them.
• CAR-T Cell Therapy: A revolutionary treatment where we harvest your T-cells, genetically modify them in our GMP lab to recognize the leukemia, and infuse them back into your body. This is currently used for certain types of relapsed ALL and lymphomas.

Advanced Cellular Engineering: LivMedCell

Liv Hospital is one of the few centers in the region with an in-house Regenerative Medicine Stem Cell Manufacturing Center (LivMedCell) that meets international GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards. This facility is critical for our success rates.

CD34+ Cell Selection

In allogeneic transplants, the risk of Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) is a major concern. Using the CliniMACS® system, we perform CD34+ selection.

• How it works: We use magnetic beads to isolate the pure stem cells (CD34+) from the donor's blood.
• The Benefit: We infuse a highly purified graft. This significantly lowers the risk of severe GVHD without compromising the engraftment of new blood cells.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs)

If a patient develops severe Graft Versus Host Disease or has poor engraftment, we can manufacture and infuse Mesenchymal Stem Cells. These "helper" cells soothe inflammation and support the bone marrow microenvironment, aiding recovery.

Radiation Therapy

While less common as a standalone treatment for leukemia, radiation is sometimes used:

• Total Body Irradiation (TBI): Often given right before a stem cell transplant to suppress the patient's immune system and clear out the bone marrow to make room for the new cells.
• Focal Radiation: To treat a buildup of leukemia cells (chloroma) in a specific area, such as the spleen or bone, that is causing pain.

Supportive Care During Treatment

Leukemia treatment is intense. To keep you safe, we provide comprehensive supportive care:

• Infection Control: HEPA-filtered isolation rooms for transplant patients.
• Transfusion Support: Platelet and red blood cell transfusions to prevent bleeding and anemia during chemotherapy.
• CVC/Hickman Lines: A central venous catheter is placed to allow painless blood draws and medication administration, sparing your arm veins.