Treatment for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)

Your child’s treatment is divided into phases. Get information on how doctors decide on treatment for childhood ALL.

Induction treatment takes around 4 weeks. The aim of induction is to get rid of as many leukaemia cells as possible. Find out what to expect.

The aim of these phases is to further reduce and get rid of any leukaemia cells that may be left in the bone marrow and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Find out more about these different phases.

The aim of maintenance treatment is to get rid of the few remaining leukaemia cells. As well as keep the leukaemia away and prevent it from coming back (relapse). Find out more about maintenance treatment.

It can be more difficult to treat relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). But there are treatments available.

Your child has a stem cell transplant after high doses of chemotherapy and sometimes radiotherapy to the whole body.