Best treatments for leukemia

At diagnosis, many parents do not know how to find the best doctors and treatments
for their child. State-of-the-art care is available from physicians who participate in the
Children’s Oncology Group (COG). This study group, composed of pediatric surgeons
and oncologists, neurologists, radiation oncologists, researchers, and nurses, provides
the best possible current treatments for leukemia and conducts studies to discover
better therapies and supportive care for children with all types of cancer. Some indi-
vidual centers of excellence design their own trials. For further information, read
Chapter 4, Clinical Trials.
Treatment of leukemia includes one or more of the following:
• Chemotherapy
• Bone marrow transplant (BMT)
• Peripheral blood stem cell transplant (PBSCT)
• Radiation therapy
Research continues to evaluate new types of treatment. At the present time, areas of
exploration include new chemotherapy drugs (drugs that kill cancer cells) and targeted
therapies (drugs aimed at certain biological features of specific cancer cells). The next
sections provide overviews of the diseases and their treatments. For more detailed
information, refer to the chapters on chemotherapy, radiation, and transplantation.