Treatment of CML and CLL
A proper diagnosis is vital because the treatments for different types of cancer may not be the same. CML and CLL are very slow-growing cancers. You might not need treatment right away. In some cases, you might not need treatment at all. But if your CML and CLL are progressing and causing symptoms, treatment options can be discussed. Doctors typically start by treating those with CML with targeted therapies. Targeted therapies are drugs that work on specific cells. In many other cases of CML, the goal is to relieve symptoms and slow the progression of cancer.
This can be done with treatments like; blood transfusions, antibiotics for any infections, surgery, radiation therapy (using high-powered radiation to shrink and kill tumors), chemography (using powerful drugs to kill fast-growing cells, including cancer cells), and stem plant transplant (sometimes called a bone marrow transplant, replacing damaged stem cells with healthy ones).
For the CLL, doctors recommend chemotherapy, monoclonal antibodies, targeted therapies, or a combination of these as a first-line treatment for CLL. Monoclonal antibodies are synthetic immune system proteins that target specific cells. They also treat CLL using stem cell transplants, particularly in the case of hard-to-treat CLL.