Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Children and Adolescents

Running, not enrolling · Phase 3

Conditions studied: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Pediatric

In brief

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer diagnosed in children. The cancer comes from a cell in the blood called a lymphocyte. Normal lymphocytes are produced in the bone marrow (along with other blood cells) and help fight infections. In ALL, the cancerous lymphocytes are called lymphoblasts. They do not help fight infection and crowd out the normal blood cells in the bone marrow so that the body cannot make enough normal blood cells. ALL is always fatal if it is not treated. With current treatments, most children and adolescents with this disease will be cured. The standard treatment for ALL involves about 2 years of chemotherapy. The drugs that are used, and the doses of the drugs, are similar but not identical for all children and adolescents with ALL. Some children and adolescents receive stronger treatment, especially during the first several months. A number of factors are used to decide how strong the treatment should be to give the best chance for cure. These factors are called "risk factors". This trial is studying the use of a new, updated set of risk factors to decide how strong the treatment will be. The study also will test a new way of dosing a chemotherapy drug called pegaspargase (which is part of the standard treatment for ALL) based on checking levels of the drug in the blood and adjusting the dose based on the levels.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT03020030
Run by: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
People needed: 560
Starts: 2017-03-03
Expected to finish: 2034-11-01
Last updated by the study team: 2026-07-16

Who can join

Age: 1 and older, up to 21. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

Confirmed diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Diagnosis should be made by bone marrow aspirate or biopsy demonstrating ≥ 25% involvement by lymphoblasts, with flow cytometry or immunohistochemistry confirming B-precursor or T-ALL phenotype.
- For patients with circulating blasts in the peripheral blood, flow cytometry confirmation of B-ALL or T-ALL phenotype is sufficient for registration onto the study. Bone marrow aspirate and/or biopsy should be performed as soon as feasible, preferably prior to the initiation of any therapy.
Prior Therapy: No prior therapy is allowed except for the following:
Corticosteroids: Short courses of corticosteroid (defined as ≤ 7 days of corticosteroids within the 4-weeks preceding registration) are allowed prior to registration.
-- Participants who have been on corticosteroids chronically (defined as more than 7 days of corticosteroids within the 4-weeks preceding registration or more than 28 days of corticosteroids over the preceding 6 months) are not eligible.
IT cytarabine: A single dose of intrathecal cytarabine (at the time of the diagnostic lumbar puncture) is allowed prior to registration. If patient has received IT cytarabine prior to registration, Day 1 IT cytarabine should not be administered.
Emergent Radiation Therapy: Emergent radiation to the mediastinum or other life-threatening masses is allowed prior to registration.
Age: 365 days to < 22 years
Direct bilirubin < 1.4 mg/dL (23.9 micromoles/L).
Ability of parent or guardian to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.

You may not qualify if…

Mature B-cell (Burkitt's) ALL (defined by the presence of surface immunoglobulin and/or the t(8;14)(q24;q32), t(8;22), or t(2;8) translocation and/or c-myc-gene rearrangement).
World Health Organization diagnostic criteria of mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) or leukemia of ambiguous lineage
Any chemotherapy or radiotherapy for previous malignancy are not eligible.
Treatment in past with any anti-neoplastic agent, including methotrexate, 6-mercaptopurine, 6-thioguanine, vincristine cyclophosphamide, cytarabine (except for IT cytarabine), or any anthracycline, for any reason (eg, rheumatologic or autoimmune condition).
Currently receiving any investigational agents.
Known HIV-positivity
Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to ongoing infection with vital sign instability (hypotension, respiratory insufficiency), life-threatening acute tumor lysis syndrome (eg, with renal failure), symptomatic congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, intracranial or other uncontrolled bleeding, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
Pregnant women are excluded from this study because many of the agents used on this protocol have potential for teratogenic and/or abortifacient effects. Because there is an unknown but potential risk of adverse events in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with these chemotherapy agents, breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is enrolled.
History of a previous malignancy. Exception: Individuals with a previous malignancy treated with surgery only (no chemotherapy or radiotherapy) more than 5 years prior to registration may be enrolled.

Where it is running

Boston Children's Hospital — Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute — Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey — New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Roswell Park Cancer Institute — Buffalo, New York, United States
Columbia University Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian — New York, New York, United States
Montefiore Medical Center — The Bronx, New York, United States
Hasbro Children's Hospital / Rhode Island Hospital — Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Hospital Sainte Justine, University of Montreal — Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Centre Hospitalier U. de Quebec — Québec, Quebec, Canada

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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