The rule of 7 in chemotherapy is a standard induction regimen for Acute Myeloid Leukemia, in which people get 7 days of continuous intravenous Cytarabine, combined with 3 days of an anthracycline like Daunorubicin.
The rule of 7 in chemotherapy is an intensive approach that aims to kill the rapidly dividing cancer cells in the blood as well as bone marrow.
The rule of 7 also known as the 7+3 regimen is the first like treatment or induction to reduce remission in people with AML, except for acute promyelocytic leukemia.
It involves 7 days of constant infusion of Cytarabine, along with 3 days of an anthracycline.
The overall treatment protocol for the rule of 7 in chemotherapy requires a 19 to 28 day hospital stay, with a bone marrow biopsy that is often performed on day 14 to check for remission.
The regimen also allows your bone marrow to recover from the intense treatment, which is also necessary to manage the severe side effects.
Some chemotherapy cycles are structured with 5 days of treatment, that is followed by 2 days of rest within a 7 day period to allow you to recover.
And if a patient's white blood cell count or platelet counts are too low on day one of a cycle, the chemo treatment may be delayed for 7 days.
Chemo will extend life for weeks, months or even years, but it depends on the type of cancer, the stage of cancer, like early stage often better than Stage IV, the persons health, and response to treatment.
Early stage cancers like I-III usually see significant life extension, which can be months or years, with chemo and Stage IV or metastatic cancers may see shorter gains in their life expectancy of weeks to months.
A persons age, overall health and fitness and the persons ability to tolerate treatment also impacts the outcomes and life expectancy of chemo treatments and also combining of chemo with surgery or radiation can also improve the outcomes and life expectancy of cancer patients.
And how well the cancer responds or shrinks or stops growing after a few cycles of chemical like 1 to 2 cycles also further guides the treatment.
Oncologists will stop treatment for the cancer when the benefits no longer outweigh the side effects of the cancer treatment or if the cancer stops responding to the treatment.
Oncologists will also stop cancer treatments if the patient chooses to prioritize their quality of life over the aggressive cancer treatments, and often transition to hospice care or palliative care for comfort, especially if the end of their life is approaching.
Although cancer treatments can be open ended for years in advanced cases, if the cancer treatments are tolerated well.
But decisions on stopping the cancer treatments also involve balancing of cancer control, managing the symptoms, goals of the patient receiving the cancer treatments and potential harm.
Guidelines sometimes recommend stopping chemotherapy treatments near the end of life to prevent suffering.
The main reasons to stop cancer treatments include.
If the cancer is not shrinking, is growing or spreading or treatments offer minimal extension to life expectancy.
Or if the side effects of the cancer treatments outweigh the benefits, like having fatigue, pain, organ damage, which can diminish the persons quality of life more than the treatment helps them.
Or if the patient getting the cancer treatments decides, that they'd rather focus on comfort and time with their family than enduring further cancer treatments.
And if the cancer becomes more advanced and incurable, an oncologist and patient may decide to stop the cancer treatment.
When the cancer treatments might continue include.
In advanced and metastatic cancer, if the treatment controls the cancer and the patient tolerates the cancer treatments well, which can potentially be for years.
Or in planned, limited durations like months, before or after surgery.