Treatment

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a treatment with medications that inhibit cell division (cytostatics). These medications ensure that cancer cells have less chance of growing. Usually, you will receive multiple types of chemotherapy. The treatment plan specifies exactly what you will receive and when. Sometimes, your treatment team may choose to deviate from the plan, and they will explain this to you. You will receive chemotherapy in the form of drinks, pills, capsules, an infusion, an injection, and sometimes through a spinal injection.

Radiation (radiotherapy)

Radiation destroys cancer cells. The cells can no longer divide, causing the tumor to shrink and eventually disappear. You will be treated daily for a few minutes over the course of several weeks. Your healthy body parts will be kept outside the radiation area as much as possible or shielded with lead shields. The radiation oncologist calculates exactly how much radiation you will receive and from which angle(s) it will be applied using computer models. During radiation, you must remain still.

Surgery

In surgery, the surgeon tries to remove the tumor as completely as possible. Surgery is always done under anesthesia. Before the procedure, you will have a conversation with the anesthesiologist or anesthesia staff. They will explain the anesthesia or sedation to you. You will also be told when you must stop eating and drinking. You will be admitted either on the day of the surgery or the day before.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy helps your own immune system recognize and destroy cancer cells. You will receive immunotherapy via your line or VIT, and sometimes as a pill.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Bone marrow is located inside your bones. This is your blood factory. The bone marrow produces stem cells that develop into red and white blood cells and platelets. If your blood factory is not working well, we can replace it by giving you stem cells from a donor. This is called allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

First, you will undergo a pre-treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiation to prepare your body for healthy stem cells from a donor. These are administered through your line. The stem cells will find their way through your blood to your bone marrow and build a new blood factory there. It takes some time for your new blood factory to function properly.