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Next Steps

Follow-up

After completion of treatment, the diagnostic studies are repeated to see how the treatment has affected the leukemia. Many people have a reduction or even a disappearance of leukemia cells in their blood and bone marrow. This is called remission.

• If the patient is in remission, his or her medical team watches the patient carefully over time for signs that the leukemia is coming back. In certain very high risk patients, who are likely to relapse despite a seeming remission, stem cell transplantation may follow induction therapy. 



• If the initial treatment does not cause remission, the doctor discusses alternate treatment plans, perhaps with new agents undergoing testing.

Another factor to be addressed may be impaired organ function secondary to therapy. Careful follow-up on any patient who has received extensive therapy, such as stem cell transplantation, should receive careful systemic evaluations in order to initiate corrective measures should any organ impairment be detected.