Managing Side Effects of Leukemia Treatment in Children

Treatments for childhood leukemia have made great progress. Today, more than 90 percent of children who are diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) — the most common type of childhood leukemia — can be cured, according to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The goal in treating childhood leukemia is to kill the cancer cells that have multiplied in the blood and bone marrow. The most common way to do that is with chemotherapy.

“Chemotherapy is definitely the mainstay of treatment,” says Etan Orgel, MD, director of the Medical Supportive Care Service, Survivorship, and Supportive Care Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “Even though we’ve had it for decades, now we’re learning how to use it best.”

Children actually tolerate chemotherapy drugs better than adults, but because their bodies are still growing and developing, they face unique challenges and side effects during their treatment. “Children aren’t just little adults,” stresses Dr. Orgel.