Treatment Options for Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Untreated Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Remission
Recurrent Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.

Standard treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) during the remission induction phase includes the following:

• Combination chemotherapy.
• CNS prophylaxis therapy including chemotherapy (intrathecal and/or systemic) with or without radiation therapy to the brain.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with untreated adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Standard treatment of adult ALL during the post-remission phase includes the following:

• Combination chemotherapy with or without tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy.
• Chemotherapy with stem cell transplant.
• CNS prophylaxis therapy including chemotherapy (intrathecal and/or systemic) with or without radiation therapy to the brain.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia in remission. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Standard treatment of recurrent adult ALL may include the following:

• Combination chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplant.
• Low-dose radiation therapy as palliative care to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life.
• Tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy.

Some of the treatments being studied in clinical trials for recurrent adult ALL include the following:

• A clinical trial of stem cell transplant using the patient's own stem cells.
• A clinical trial of biologic therapy.
• A clinical trial of new anticancer drugs.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with recurrent adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.