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What is leukemia?
Leukemia is cancer of the blood forming cells in the bone marrow. Abnormal white blood cells multiply and crowd out normal cells, causing fatigue from anemia, infections, easy bruising or bleeding, and sometimes bone pain or swollen lymph nodes. Leukemias are grouped by speed and cell type: acute leukemias grow quickly and need treatment within days, chronic leukemias develop slowly and may be watched at first, and each is either lymphoid or myeloid depending on which blood cell line is affected. That gives the four main types below. Treatment ranges from chemotherapy and stem cell transplant to targeted pills, antibodies, and CAR T cells, and overall five year relative survival is about 69 percent, varying widely by type and age.
Leukemia sits alongside lymphoma and multiple myeloma among blood cancers.
Types of leukemia clinical trials
Antibody and immunotherapy trials. Blinatumomab, inotuzumab, and other antibodies added to chemotherapy, now tested from first treatment in ALL.
Targeted drug trials. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors for Philadelphia chromosome positive ALL and CML, and pills matched to mutations.
CAR T cell trials. Engineered T cells for relapsed leukemia; see CAR T cell therapy.
Pediatric and infant trials. National cooperative group studies, including infants with ALL.
Transplant trials. Conditioning and relapse prevention; see stem cell therapy.
Who can participate in leukemia clinical trials?
Trials are organized by leukemia type, genetic features, and point in treatment. Most require confirmation of the type and its genetic markers, such as the Philadelphia chromosome; newly diagnosed trials enroll at diagnosis, and relapsed trials specify prior treatments. Many ALL trials enroll children, adolescents, and young adults. Eligibility always varies by study.
Is leukemia curable?
Some types often are. Most children with ALL are cured, and some adults with AML are cured with intensive treatment or transplant. CLL and CML are usually controlled for many years rather than cured, and CML often with near normal life expectancy on daily pills.
Types of leukemia, and where to find their trials
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). About 6,250 cases a year; most cases are in children, the highest risk under age 5. Trials on this page.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML). About 22,700 cases a year, mostly older adults; see AML clinical trials.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). About 22,800 cases a year, the most common adult leukemia; see CLL clinical trials.
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). About 9,650 cases a year, usually controlled long term with daily targeted pills. Trials on this page.
How to enroll in a leukemia clinical trial
Identify your trial. Use the filters and match the stage or type and the treatment history named in study titles to your own.
Select your preferred location. Enter your city or state; large trials run at many sites, early phase studies at fewer centers.
Explore study details. Click "Learn More" for eligibility, prior treatment rules, and the visit schedule.
Complete the health profile. Click "Get started" to begin the 5-step application. Have three things ready: your leukemia type and genetic results, the treatments you have had, and whether you have had a transplant or CAR T.
Submit the application. A clinical trial coordinator reviews it and contacts you. Nothing is decided until informed consent, and participation is voluntary at every step.