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),  Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 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 94 percent today.
  • The survival rate for the following leukemias/lymphomas has also increased:
    • Hodgkin lymphoma from 50 percent in 1962 to 90 percent today
    • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) from 7 percent in 1962 to 85 percent today
    • Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) from 5 percent in 1962 to 77 percent today.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • We use genetic information obtained from individual patients to tailor doses of chemotherapy thus reducing side effects and increasing the changes of treatment success.
  • 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.
  • Radiation therapy was once a standard preventive treatment in leukemia, but has multiple side effects. St. Jude researchers have shown that radiation therapy can now be safely eliminated in virtually all patients with leukemia by using highly effective chemotherapy regimens.

 

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, email us, or refer your patient to us online.
 
Physician Referral Line: 1-888-226-4343
Email: referralinfo@stjude.org
Refer your patient online
 
We are available to speak to your doctor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
 
 


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