New Hope for Leukaemia Patients

Australian and New Zealand doctors have been involved in a ten year trial that has improved the survival rate for children with acute myeloid leukaemia.

Professor Glen Marshall, the head of the cancer unit at Sydney Children’s Hospital, says the research looked at two different types of treatment in over 250 children with the disease.

Acute leukaemia is the most common childhood cancer and 20% of children with the disease have acute myloid leukaemia.

Treatment includes bone marrow transplants and higher doses of chemotherapy.

Professor Marshall says the results are a significant breakthrough.

“We’re very proud of the results, we have a cure rate that’s almost the best that’s ever been published for the disease,” he said.

“(It) represents a substantial improvement on cure rates in other centres which have been published going back more than 10 years ago.”

(Source: ABC Online)