Hi I’m looking for some reassurance,
I’m 37 mum of four. Recently diagnosed with ALL leukaemia.
I’ve gone through 4 weeks of intensive chemotherapy I had my bone marrow biopsy at the end of this & found out it hasn’t worked & my ALL is chemo resistant.
I’ve never been more scared in my whole life.
They now want to try antibody therapy I start treatment on Monday. Does anyone have any similar stories where other treatments have worked well for them?
Thank you Charlotte
Dear @Char
I just wanted to reach out and offer our support to you having read your post. I am so sorry to hear that your chemotherapy regimen has not been effective on your ALL. It is totally understandable that you are scared and we are here for you.
What I would say that is antibody treatments for ALL can be very effective, whilst I don’t know which one you are receiving on Monday I am sure that the treatment team caring for you will explain much more but do let us know the medication if you feel comfortable. We do have some information on our webpages Treatment for relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) | Blood Cancer UK:
New drugs for ALL
There are two new drugs called blinatumomab and inotuzumab which are available on the NHS for relapsed ALL.
These drugs are known as monoclonal antibodies − they work by attaching themselves to the leukaemia cells, so your immune system can find these cells and kill them. They have shown promising results in clinical trials and tend to have fewer unpleasant side effects.
I can only imagine that embarking on new treatment with your 4 children must be so challenging, may I ask if you have plenty of support? Please do ask your Clinical Nurse Specialist for any help if you need.
Please do us a call to talk things through if that would be helpful, we are back from 10am on Monday Blood cancer information and support by phone and email | Blood Cancer UK
In the meantime, wishing you all the very best with your treatment on Monday.
Take good care
Gemma