About this study
Some children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) have cancer that is hard to treat or returns after standard treatment. A type of immunotherapy known as CAR T-cell therapy offers hope for long-term cure, but doctors do not yet know the long-term effects on survivors.
The CONQUER study aims to learn more about the late effects of CAR T-cell therapy. Late effects are side effects that appear after patients have completed therapy. We know that after cancer therapy, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and bone marrow (stem cell or hematopoietic cell) transplant, survivors are at risk for a variety of late effects. But we do not yet know the long-term effects of CAR T-cell therapy on survivors. We also do not know how those effects may be similar or different than what we see with other cancer treatments.
Our main goal is to find out if patients who were treated with CD19-CAR T-cell therapy when they were children, teens, or young adults are able to come to St. Jude as part of the CONQUER study to have a full health check. If survivors are unable to do this, we also want to better understand the reasons so we can improve our approaches in the future.
The CONQUER study is observational, which means no new treatment is given. Survivors (and a caregiver) will come for a visit to St. Jude. This visit will last about 4 days. People in the study will complete surveys to learn more about their current life and medical history. They will also have a complete medical checkup. This checkup will include lab work, a physical exam, body measurements, and a brain MRI. The study will also include tests of:
- Memory
- Sleep
- Muscle strength and flexibility
- Balance
- Physical activity
- Heart and lung health
- Hearing and vision
- Immune health
After the visit, people in the study will be asked to wear a physical activity monitor for 1 week while they are at home.
The information we collect in this study may be used to guide treatment and follow-up care of people who get CAR T-cell therapy in the future.
Eligibility overview
- Had CD19 CAR T-cell therapy for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- Age 26 or younger at the time of the first CD19-CAR T-cell treatment
- At least 2 years past the last CAR T-cell infusion
- After CD19-CAR treatment, the B-ALL went away (remission) and no more cancer treatment was needed to stay in remission, except perhaps a stem cell transplant.