New International Study Aims to Reduce Chemotherapy Burden in Pediatric ALL

Prof. Dr. Gunnar Cario and his team at the Clinic for Pediatric Oncology and Rheumatology at UKSH, Campus Kiel, have secured a €3 million grant from the German Cancer Aid. Their international study focuses on reducing the chemotherapy load for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) while maintaining high cure rates. In Germany, about 550 to 600 children develop ALL each year, and although current treatments can cure up to 90% of patients, they come with severe side effects and long-term risks.

The study builds on the success of the international AIEOP-BFM ALL consortium, a network of over 130 centers in 10 countries, which has focused on improving outcomes mainly by reducing relapses and/or high-risk patients so far. With the new study led by CATCH ALL PI Prof. Gunnar Cario, the emphasis shifts to lowering treatment toxicity by replacing a portion of intensive chemotherapy with immunotherapy in those children with excellent cure rates. The participating researchers are convinced that chemotherapy can be reduced by 50% in every fifth child with ALL. This will be achieved by a more precise definition of this patient group including new molecular markers and by treating them with minimal chemotherapy in combination with immunotherapy.

This project is part of the wider research efforts within the Kiel Oncology Network (KON) and the University Cancer Center Schleswig-Holstein (UCCSH). It is also linked to the CATCH ALL Clinical Research Unit, funded by the DFG, where an interdisciplinary team develops precision therapies for ALL across all age groups.

Please find a press release in German here.