University research to improve treatment of childhood leukemia

Children with leukaemia could be offered tailored treatment to avoid unnecessary side-effects from chemotherapy, thanks to research carried out at the University of Sheffield. Researchers in the University´s Academic Unit of Clinical Pharmacology in the Department of Human Metabolism, have been awarded £77,260 from the blood cancer charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, to continue their investigations into how a child´s genetic code can affect his or her response to drugs when treated for leukaemia. Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) affects around 450 children a year in the UK. It is a highly aggressive cancer and is fatal without effective treatment. The main treatment for ALL is chemotherapy with toxic drugs. Once a child has achieved remission they must undergo `maintenance´ therapy for at least two years with lower doses of drugs, including one called 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP). The team at the University, led by Dr Lynne Lennard, is studying how each child´s genetic code determines how he or she will react to this drug.