Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy (also called chemo) uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. The way the chemotherapy is given depends on whether the leukemia cells have spread to the central nervous system (CNS; brain and spinal cord).

Systemic chemotherapy is when chemotherapy drugs are taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle. When given this way, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body.

Intrathecal chemotherapy may be used to treat ALL that has spread, or may spread, to the brain and spinal cord. Intrathecal chemotherapy is a method of placing chemotherapy directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, which is the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. When used to lessen the chance leukemia cells will spread to the brain and spinal cord, it is called CNS prophylaxis.

Learn more about Drugs Approved for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Learn more about how chemotherapy works, how it is given, common side effects, and more at Chemotherapy to Treat Cancer and Chemotherapy and You: Support for People with Cancer.