Genetic clues could predict leukaemia patients’ risk of treatment failure

Genetic clues could predict leukaemia patients' risk of treatment failure New research led by UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to predict which childhood leukaemia patients are at higher risk of not responding well to chemotherapy will allow clinicians to refine treatment strategies to give the best chance of success. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology , combined UK trial data from 2003-2019 to see which patients had worse outcomes. They then used whole genome sequencing to look for genetic clues that could be used to predict this risk in future patients. The team hope that these genetic clues can be used to identify high-risk patients early, who may be eligible to take part in trials for the latest immunotherapies, such as CAR-T cell therapy. Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the main type of childhood leukaemia and is split into two subtypes, B-Cell ALL (B-ALL) and T-Cell ALL (T'ALL). The current conventional therapies for ALL include induction chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant. But patients are three times more likely to not respond well to therapy and suffer poor outcomes in T'ALL compared with B-ALL, and there are fewer treatment options available when patients relapse.