Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Treatment

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Bone marrow is a soft, sponge-like tissue in the center of many bones. It makes blood cells.

The bone marrow makes 3 types of blood cells:

• Red blood cells: They carry oxygen.
• White blood cells: They fight infection.
• Platelets: They help blood to clot.

In ALL, the bone marrow makes too many white blood cells (lymphocytes) that do not work correctly.  There is no room for healthy cells to develop. As a result, children and teens cannot fight infections well. They can get very sick. ALL is the most common form of childhood leukemia and the most common form of childhood cancer overall. About 3 in 4 children and teens with leukemia have ALL. Doctors often do not know why leukemia happens. It is not because of anything the child or family did.

Learn more about acute lymphoblastic leukemia on the Together by St. Jude™ online resource.

Treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia 

Chemotherapy is the main treatment for ALL. It has 3 phases and can take 2–2.5 years to complete.

The treatment plan depends on the chance that the leukemia may not respond to treatment or may come back after treatment has finished. This is called risk-based treatment.

St. Jude groups ALL cases as low risk, standard risk, and high risk. Cases that are most likely to respond to treatment are low risk. Leukemia that is the hardest to treat is high risk.

Children with low-risk ALL get less medicine than children with standard-risk ALL. Children with high-risk ALL get more medicine than children with standard-risk ALL. They may need more treatments such as immunotherapy or stem cell (bone marrow) transplant.

For specific types of ALL, children may get targeted therapy or immunotherapy. These therapies help the body identify and kill certain types of cancer cells.

Your child’s oncologist will discuss treatment options with you.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia clinical trials 

St. Jude offers clinical trials and cancer research studies for children, teens, and young adults for ALL. Learn more about clinical research at St. Jude.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia care at St. Jude

• St. Jude has led the way in how the world treats childhood leukemia since the hospital opened in 1962.
• St. Jude patients with ALL have a 94% survival rate.
• St. Jude investigators showed that radiation can be safely omitted from the treatment of most patients with ALL.
• St. Jude researchers found that there are more than 30 subtypes of ALL. They are based on changes in genes and chromosomes in the leukemia cells. This finding has transformed treatment for ALL. Treatment plans are now based on a child’s subtype and how it responds to specific treatments. The discovery was made possible by the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital-Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project.
• At St. Jude, children with ALL can take part in clinical trials if they choose. These studies use the most advanced treatments available. Our goal is to improve each child’s chance of cure and to reduce the side effects of treatment.
• Our clinical trials are based on years of experience and success. We have helped set the standard for ALL treatment, advancing cure rates, and improving the understanding of the disease. 
• Our team includes doctors trying to cure the disease and experts in nutrition, rehabilitation, nursing, education, psychology, social work, and child life. This team supports each child through diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.