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ALLG launch new clinical trial to improve the lives of young Australians with leukaemia

Announcement posted by Australasian Leukaemia & Lymphoma Group 25 Jul 2018

With the support of the Medicial Reasech Future Fund and CanTeen
Today, the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group (ALLG) is excited to announce the launch of a new clinical trial that aims to improve the treatment of Australian adolescents and young adults with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).

With the support of the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) via CanTeen, the ALLG’s new clinical trial (ALL9) aims to improve outcomes in Adolescent and Young Adult patients with B-lineage Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia by incorporating a novel immune based therapy into the BFM-2000-based standard treatment schedule for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

ALLG CEO, Delaine Smith said the new clinical trial will have a ‘significant impact’, and will be one of the first trials in the world incorporating this level of treatment for young Australians suffering leukaemia.

ALL9 is the only proposed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia trial option in Australia for young people and is specifically designed to address the issues that result in low survival rates.”

“This important new trial will lead to a better understanding of how to successfully incorporate immune based therapy into standard of care protocols in Australian adolescents and young adults with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, as well as having a significant impact on the outcomes of young patients with this type of leukaemia”, said Ms Smith.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is a neoplasm of B or T cell lymphoid precursors originating in the bone marrow or thymus respectively. Two-thirds of cases occur in adolescents or young adults and has been associated with inferior outcomes when compared to childhood leukaemia.

Ms Smith continued, “ALL9 will give at least 47 young Australian ALL patients, and at least 29 aged 15-25 years, access to novel immunotherapy in induction.”

“This should translate to improved long term outcomes that results in fewer patients requiring allogeneic transplantation being exposed to the long term illness and reduction in quality of life that is associated with this procedure.”

“This is an important study that will have a significant impact on the way future clinical trials in ALL are designed, and, translated into clinical practice”, said Ms Smith.