Leukemia / Lymphoma Parent Information

Why St. Jude for Your Child’s Leukemia Treatment?

  • Our experienced team of physicians and researchers have dedicated their lives to finding cures for children just like yours -- children who suffer from leukemias and lymphomas such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), and Hodgkin Disease, among others.  
  • St. Jude’s groundbreaking development of combination therapy for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer, revolutionized leukemia therapy worldwide and increased the survival rate from 4 percent, when St. Jude opened in 1962, to 80 percent today.
  • The cure rate for the following leukemias/lymphomas has also increased:
    • Hodgkin Disease from 50 percent in 1962 to 90 percent in 2003
    • Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) from 7 percent in 1962 to 80 percent in 2003
  • In addition, contemporary leukemia treatment strategies at St. Jude have doubled the survival rate of childhood NHL from about 40 percent 20 to 30 years ago to the current rate of 80 percent, without increasing the risks of developing other cancers.
  • At St. Jude, a comprehensive team including hematologists/oncologists, radiation treatment specialists and pharmacokineticists/pharmacogeneticists form one of the largest groups dedicated to the treatment of both common and rare forms of childhood leukemia.
  • St. Jude has the only protocol in existence for cancer in children with ataxia telangiectasia (AT). This protocol, AT-1, attempts to cure cancer in children with AT, instead of only minimizing cancer’s devastating effects.
  • With support from basic scientists we are uncovering the genetic fingerprints of the major subtypes of childhood ALL. This could lead to enhanced ability to diagnose ALL more accurately, improved ability to monitor a patient's response to therapy, and eventually, to develop more effective and less-toxic drugs to treat this cancer.
  • St. Jude researchers discovered that survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who have not received radiation treatments as part of their therapy have virtually the same long-term life experiences as the general population.

 

Click the links on the left to read more about our treatment program, treatment team, and why St. Jude is the best place for your child’s leukemia treatment.
 
To find out about enrolling your child in one of our clinical studies, have your physician call our toll free number.
 
1-866-2ST-JUDE (1-866-278-5833)
or fax relevant information to
(901) 495-4011
 
We are available to speak to your doctor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
 
 


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