Treatment of acute leukemia

Leukemic cells are highly sensitive to chemotherapeutic agents. A reduction of the leukemic burden is easily achieved by chemotherapy in most cases. H owever, it is difficult to reduce the number of leukemic cells to such an e xtent that a regrowth does not occur and the patient is cured. Traditionally the therapy of acute leukemia is divided into induction and p ost remission therapy. The aim of the induction therapy is to reduce the nu mber of leukemic cells to a morphologically undetectable level allowing nor mal hemopoiesis to recover. The goal of the post remission treatment is a f urther reduction of leukemic cells to zero or to very low levels which can be controlled by (still unknown) endogenous mechanisms. In some recent trea tment protocols induction and the early part of post remission treatment ar e not strictly separated.