Cancer Health Center

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Clinical trials are used to find out whether a medicine or treatment is safe and effective. People who have chronic leukemia are often referred to clinical trials for their treatment. For more information, see www.cancer.gov/clinical_trials/ or http://clinicaltrials.gov.

For more information about chronic leukemias in adults, see the following topics:

• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treatment [NCI PDQ] - Health Professional Version
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treatment [NCI PDQ] - Patient Version
• Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Treatment [NCI PDQ] - Health Professional Version
• Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Treatment [NCI PDQ] - Patient Version

For information about hairy cell leukemia, see the following topics:

• Hairy Cell Leukemia Treatment [NCI PDQ] - Health Professional Version
• Hairy Cell Leukemia Treatment [NCI PDQ] - Patient Version

Leukemia in children

Treatments for children who have leukemia are not the same as treatments for adults who have leukemia. Children may respond and react to treatments in ways that are different from how adults respond. Also, after the leukemia has been treated, children may need to be monitored for treatment side effects that may appear months or years later.

Leukemia in children is usually treated by a medical team led by a pediatric oncologist.

For more information about childhood leukemias, see the following topics:

• Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatment [NCI PDQ] - Health Professional Version
• Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatment [NCI PDQ] - Patient Version
• Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia/Other Myeloid Malignancies Treatment [NCI PDQ] - Health Professional Version
• Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia/Other Myeloid Malignancies Treatment [NCI PDQ] - Patient Version

Palliative care

If you have leukemia, you may want to consider having palliative care along with your treatments. Palliative care is a kind of care for people who have serious illnesses. It can help you manage symptoms from your treatment. Palliative care focuses on improving your quality of life-not just in your body but also in your mind and spirit.

Palliative care may help you manage symptoms or side effects from treatment. It could also help you cope with your feelings about living with a serious illness, make future plans for your medical care, or help your family better understand your illness and how to support you.

If you are interested in palliative care, talk to your doctor. He or she may be able to manage your care or refer you to a doctor who specializes in this type of care.

For more information, see the topic Palliative Care.

End-of-life issues

Even if your treatment is going well, it's a good idea to plan ahead. Talk to your family and your doctor about health care and other legal issues that arise near the end of life. Put your health care choices in writing (with an advance directive or living will). This is important, if a time comes when you can't make and communicate these decisions. Think about your treatment options and which kind of treatment will be best for you. You may also want to choose a health care agent to make and carry out decisions about your care if you become unable to speak for yourself.