TREATMENT OF CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENT LEUKEMIAS: THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF CHEMOTHERAPY AND RADIOTHERAPY

Abstract

Leukemia in children is a cancer that originates in the bone marrow, compromising hematopoietic stem cells, leading to the uncontrolled proliferation of white blood cells and consequently, impairing the functioning of the immune system. The main cancers that affect children and adolescents include acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia and juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia. The search for a treatment that is not aggressive is increasingly in evidence and targeted therapies enter as the main line of treatment, since it is less toxic than chemotherapy.

Keywords: Childhood leukemia 1; targeted therapies 2; chemotherapy 3; radiation therapy 4; stem cells 5.