This section describes the treatment options for both acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
After carrying out all the necessary diagnostic tests, doctors will have a clear understanding of what is causing your child’s symptoms. You will now meet with some members of the primary treatment team. It is helpful to bring paper and a pen and take notes at each meeting with this team. Or ask a relative or friend to come to do this for you.
The primary treatment team will include a paediatric oncologist, a nurse, and a social worker. During the meeting, they will explain which doctor is responsible for your child’s treatment, and the roles of everyone on the team. There may be other doctors that participate in the care of your child, but you will always have one physician who is most responsible for the care of your child.
The doctor will explain the type of leukemia your child has, based on what the team has learned through diagnostic testing. You will learn the expected outcome and effect the leukemia will have on your child in the upcoming months and years, based on what is known about the type of leukemia. This is called the prognosis.
The doctor will talk to you about placing your child on a protocol, which is a treatment plan for a particular cancer. Your child’s protocol depends on the type and subtype of leukemia as well as particular risk factors.
What is the purpose of treatment?
Treating ALL and AML aims to bring your child into remission. Your child is in remission when chemotherapy kills most of the leukemic cells in the bone marrow. When this happens, the body starts to produce normal blood cells. Your child receives more treatment after remission to completely kill the disease.
There are three main types of treatment for leukemia:
- chemotherapy
- radiation
- bone marrow transplants (BMT)
All children with leukemia are treated with chemotherapy. Some children may also receive either radiation, BMT, or a combination of both.
Participating in clinical trials
Your child’s doctor may ask if you would like your child to participate in a clinical trial, which is a structured research study.
Decades of research has greatly improved treatment and survival for children with leukemia. For example, improvements in chemotherapy have increased the survival rate for a child diagnosed with AML from 35% to 50% over the past thirty years. The overall cure rate for childhood ALL is around 85%. Despite this positive outlook for children with leukemia, many doctors are trying to make leukemia treatments even more successful. They can do this by studying different types of treatment, in a clinical trial. You will have to sign an informed consent form for your child to participate in a clinical trial.
Researchers have developed international groups to coordinate these trials. In North America, the main organization that develops clinical trials for children is the Children’s Oncology Group (COG).
Other available resources
The treatment team will also tell you about resources available to support your child, you, and your other children during treatment and recovery. Before you agree to the treatment offered, it is important that you understand what to expect and feel comfortable with your decision.
Talk to your child’s doctor about any questions concerning the diagnosis and the treatment plan.