Steps of treatment
The treatment of AML is divided into three steps. They are;
- Induction
- Consolidation
- Maintenance
Induction is the first step of the treatment. It is a short and intensive procedure that usually lasts about a week. The main goal of this step is to clear off the abnormal blasts in the bone marrow to a considerably average amount.
Consolidation is the second step of treatment, and it is usually given after the patient has recovered from induction. It is an important step that helps to kill the small number of cancer cells still present in the bloodstream but cannot be seen because they are almost insignificant.
For this step, chemo is usually given in cycles. Each treatment period is followed by rest to give the body a little time to recover.
The last stage is called the maintenance or post-consolidation step. It involves administering a low dose of chemo for months or years after completing the consolidation step.