The primary treatment for acute leukaemia in children and young adults is chemotherapy. The type of chemotherapy drug, timing and dose that is delivered will be personalised based on the child’s cancer, age and general health as part of the treatment protocol developed by their Paediatric Haematologist-Oncologist.
The goal of the chemotherapy treatment is to destroy leukaemic cells and restore blood and bone marrow function back to normal, resulting in remission.
Other treatments may include:
- Radiation therapy (to brain or testicles)
- Haematopoietic stem cell transplant
- Targeted therapy
- CAR T-cell therapy
In chronic leukaemia, such as CML, initial treatment includes targeted therapies, which may or may not be followed by chemotherapy and stem cell transplant.