Adult Leukemia

Foreword
Preface

1. What Leukemia Is
    Understanding blood
    How leukemia begins
    How leukemia is diagnosed
    Kinds of adult leukemia
    Acute leukemias
    Chronic leukemias
    Other chronic lymphocytic leukemias
    Preleukemic conditions
    What leukemia is not

2. Signs and Symptoms
    Bringing concerns to your doctor
    Acute leukemias
    Chronic leukemias
    Hairy cell leukemia (HCL)

3. Diagnosis
    Diagnosis by blood work
    Who to see for testing
    Questions for a first visit
    Comprehensive blood testing
    Hearing the diagnosis
    Emotional responses to diagnosis

4. Tests and Procedures
General information
Specific tests

5. Subtype, Staging, and Prognosis
    Blood tests yield subtype and staging information
    Acute leukemias
    Chronic leukemias
    Hairy cell leukemia

6. Risks and Causes
    Who is at risk for leukemia
    Causal information
    Viral links to leukemia
    Speculative causes of leukemia
    Prevention and reducing risk

7. Treatment Options
    The range of treatment theories
    Standard therapies
    Chemotherapy
    Rescue drugs
    Biological therapies
    Choosing the best treatment option
    What to expect during treatment
    Treatment protocols
    Preparation
    Scheduling
    Administering therapies

8. Treatments for Individual Leukemias
    Treatment protocols
    Acute leukemias
    Chronic leukemias
    Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL)
    Prolymphocytic leukemia (PLL)
    Hairy cell leukemia (HCL)
    Splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes (SLVL)

9. Transplantation
    Bone marrow transplant basics
    Types of bone marrow transplants
    Considerations for patients and families
    How transplants are done
    After treatment
    Long-term effects
    Becoming a donor

10. Clinical Trials and Beyond
    Who should learn about clinical trials?
    What are clinical trials?
    Why participate in clinical trials?
    Guinea pig?
    Placebos
    How clinical trials are run
    Where to go for clinical trials
    Finding trials for leukemia
    Why research trials on your own?
    Getting admitted to a trial
    Once you are accepted
    Payment
    Future treatment directions
    Research in biological anticancer substances
    Research in chemotherapy

11. Communicating with Your Medical Team
    Establishing a relationship with your doctor
    Talking with your doctor
    Medical case managers
    Second opinions
    Communicating with the hospital staff

12. Side Effects of Treatment
    General observations
    Why do side effects arise?
    A word about prednisone
    Side effects of treatment

13. Stress and the Immune System
    What is stress?
    Responses to stress
    The effect of stress on the immune system
    What can we do?
    Stress reduction techniques
    Stress medications

14. Getting Support
    Specific needs
    Communicate these details
    Typical reactions
    How to communicate about needs
    Sources of support
    Loved ones
    Good friends
    Support groups
    Coworkers
    Individual and family counseling
    Organizations that focus on help
    Challenging moments

15. Insurance and Finances
    Health insurance
    Financial issues
    Disability income
    Employment issues
    Record-keeping
    Traveling for care

16. After Treatment
    Leaving the world of treatment
    Moving on
    Emotional responses
    Social and professional after-effects
    Lingering symptoms and side effects
    Late effects and complications

17. Recurrence
    Recurrence defined
    Causes for recurrence
    What to look for
    When am I safe from fears of relapse?
    Treatment options
    Transformations
    Emotional responses
    Mobilizing for treatment again
    Adjusting to treatment again
    What family and friends can do
    What the patient can do

18. If All Treatments Have Failed
    Setting new goals
    Emotional concerns
    Physical aspects of dying
    Can we make dying easier?
    Planning your own memorial ceremony

19. Researching Your Leukemia
    Why researching helps
    What you'll need to begin
    Ways to find information
    Getting started
    Research papers from medical journals
    How to obtain medical textbooks
    Finding clinical trials
    How to find support groups
    How to verify drug information
    Verifying your chemotherapy dose
    How to interpret test results
    How to assess unproven remedies
    Other unique web resources
    What next?

A. Resources
B. Normal Blood and Marrow Test Values
C. Body Surface Area in Square Meters
D. FAB Staging of Acute Leukemia
E. Genetic Classification of the Lymphocytic Leukemias
F. Progression of Cell Development
G. Leukemia Drugs
Notes
Glossary
Index

Adult Leukemia

Table of Contents