New drug shows promise in leukaemia

LONDON - A new drug for children who relapse with a type of leukaemia has been found to improve survival rates dramatically.

Called Mitoxantran, the drug has now been shown to increase three-year survival rates to almost 70 percent.

A study in 216 children, funded by Cancer Research UK and Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, found that Mitoxantran increased three-year survival rates to 69 percent, compared to 45 percent for those on the standard treatment called Idarubicin.

Those on the new drug also experienced fewer side effects, reports the Telegraph.

Every year about 380 children are diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a cancer of the white blood cells that progressively hinders the body’s ability to fight infection. Of these, about 40 relapse after initial treatment.

While survival rates for children with ALL have improved significantly in recent years, comparable improvements have not been seen among those who relapse.

Typically, less than half of those who relapsed survived for more than three years,

Cancer Research UK said these results were “so promising that now all children with relapsed ALL are being offered the trial drug Mitoxantrone”.

ALL is the most common type of childhood leukaemia, accounting for around four-fifths (79 percent) of all leukaemias diagnosed in children.