What Is Palliative Treatment for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia?
If a clinical trial is not an option, then it may be time to focus on relieving symptoms rather than curing the cancer. This is known as palliative treatment. The doctor may suggest milder chemo to try to slow the growth of the leukemia in order to reduce symptoms. If there is pain, then it’s important to treat it with painkilling medicines. Sometimes medicines or blood transfusions are needed to correct low blood counts and tiredness. Nausea and loss of appetite may be helped by high-calorie food supplements and medicines. Antibiotics may be needed to treat infection. At some point, you might want to think about hospice care. Most of the time, this can be given at home. Hospice focuses on your comfort by taking care of any symptoms or other problems. The goal of care is to help the patient live life as fully as possible and feel as well as possible. While the hope for a cure may not be as bright, there is still hope for good times with family and friends — times that can bring happine
