How is childhood leukemia treated?
Making treatment decisions
Children and teens with leukemia and their families have special needs. These needs can
be met best by cancer centers for children and teens, working closely with the child’s
primary care doctor. These centers offer the advantage of being treated by teams of
specialists who know the differences between cancers in adults and those in children and
teens, as well as the unique needs of younger people with cancer.
For childhood leukemias, this team is typically led by a pediatric oncologist, a doctor
who treats children’s cancers. Many other specialists may be involved in your child’s
care as well, including other doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners (NPs), physician
assistants (PAs), psychologists, social workers, rehabilitation specialists, and other health
professionals.
Going through cancer treatment with a child often means meeting lots of specialists and
learning about parts of the medical system you probably haven’t had contact with before.
You can find out more about this in our document Children Diagnosed With Cancer:
Understanding the Health Care System.
After leukemia is diagnosed and tests have been done to determine its type, your child’s
cancer care team will discuss the treatment options with you. The most important factor
in choosing a treatment is the type of leukemia, but other factors also play a role.
The main treatment for childhood leukemia is chemotherapy. For some children with
higher risk leukemias, high-dose chemotherapy may be given along with a stem cell
transplant. Other treatments such as targeted drugs, surgery, and radiation therapy may be
used in special circumstances.
Treatment of acute forms of childhood leukemia (lymphocytic and myeloid) is usually
very intensive, so it is important that it takes place in a center that specializes in treating
childhood cancers. Your child’s doctor should make sure that treatment reflects your
child’s risk group (based on certain prognostic factors) and that he or she will be treated
according to a protocol or guidelines of the National Cancer Institute or a cooperative
study group. This will ensure the most up-to-date treatment.
It’s important to discuss your child’s treatment options as well as their possible side
effects with the treatment team to help make the decision that’s the best fit for your child.
If there is anything you don’t understand, ask to have it explained. (See the section “What
should you ask your child’s doctor about childhood leukemia?” for some questions to
ask.)
It’s also important that you tell your child’s doctors about any drugs, herbal remedies, or
other alternative medicines you might be giving your child so that the doctors can
determine if they might affect standard treatments.
For more on how a specific type of childhood leukemia is treated, see the following
sections:
· Treatment of acute lymphocytic (lymphoblastic) leukemia (ALL)
· Treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
· Treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL)
· Treatment of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML)
· Treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
Thinking about taking part in a clinical trial
Clinical trials are carefully controlled research studies that are done to get a closer look at
promising new treatments or procedures. Clinical trials are one way to get state-of-the art
cancer treatment. In some cases they may be the only way to get access to newer
treatments. They are also the best way for doctors to learn better methods to treat cancer.
Still, they are not right for everyone.
If you would like to learn more about clinical trials that might be right for your child,
start by asking your doctor if your clinic or hospital conducts clinical trials. You can also
call our clinical trials matching service at 1-800-303-5691 for a list of studies that meet
your child’s medical needs, or see “Clinical Trials” to learn more.
Considering complementary and alternative methods
You may hear about alternative or complementary methods that your doctor hasn’t
mentioned to treat your child’s cancer or relieve symptoms. These methods can include
vitamins, herbs, and special diets, or other methods such as acupuncture or massage, to
name a few.
Complementary methods refer to treatments that are used along with regular medical
care. Alternative treatments are used instead of a doctor’s medical treatment. Although
some of these methods might be helpful in relieving symptoms or helping your child feel
better, many have not been proven to work. Some might even be dangerous.
Be sure to talk to your child’s cancer care team about any method you are thinking about
using. They can help you learn what is known (or not known) about the method, which
can help you make an informed decision. See Complementary and Alternative Medicine
to learn more.