Lay Summary: Blood stem cell transplantation can cure acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children who have no other remaining treatment options. Traditionally, this has not been available for all patients because of the need for stem cell donors that are compatible (matched). Over the last decade, a novel procedure has been developed in which immune cells - called T cells - that could attack patient cells in case of a mismatched transplant, are removed from the graft before the infusion (αβ haplo-HSCT).
Lay Summary: Despite enormous efforts to find better treatments for children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), it remains one of the most difficult to treat pediatric cancers. The children that are fortunate enough to survive the intense treatment regimens suffer both short-term and lifelong side effects of their treatments. A major cause of the challenges in treating AML is the differences between cells present within leukemia that have varied responses to a given treatment.
Peter C. Adamson, MD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Lia Gore, MD, Children’s Hospital of Colorado
Melinda Merchant, MD/PhD, AstraZeneca
Martha Donoghue, MD, FDA
Wendy Long, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Maureen M. O’Brien, MD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Chris loves baseball – he has a history of playing for his high school team and is a longtime fan of the San Francisco Giants. However, when he was in high school, Chris began having strange symptoms. Today, Chris is a three-time survivor of glioblastoma.
