OCR General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Biology Practice Exam

Leukaemia is primarily treated using which of the following?

1. Blood transfusions

2. Chemotherapy only

3. Bone marrow transplants

4. Surgical removal of tissues

The correct answer is: Bone marrow transplants

Leukaemia, a type of cancer that affects blood cells, is primarily treated through various methods, with bone marrow transplants being a significant option. This treatment is designed to restore healthy blood cells in patients whose bone marrow has been damaged or destroyed by cancer or its treatments. During a bone marrow transplant, healthy stem cells are introduced into the patient's body, where they can replicate and produce new, healthy blood cells. This process is particularly crucial in cases of leukaemia, where the bone marrow is often functioning abnormally due to the presence of cancerous cells. While blood transfusions may be used to manage symptoms and chemotherapy is a common treatment to target and kill cancer cells, these methods do not fundamentally address the root issue in the same way a bone marrow transplant does. Surgical removal of tissues is generally not applicable to leukaemia, as it's a systemic disease present in the blood rather than a localized tumor. Thus, the use of bone marrow transplants stands out as a critical therapeutic approach for effectively treating this condition.