Childhood Blood Cancer Clinical Trials and Research

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Childhood Cancer Clinical Trials

Find answers to common questions about clinical trials for childhood cancer, including whether or not a clinical trial may be the right choice for your child. Contact us and we can help you navigate your options.

Clinical Trials for Pediatric Patients

Find answers to common questions about clinical trials for childhood cancer, including whether or not a clinical trial may be the right choice for your child. You can also email your questions to clinicaltrials@danafarberbostonchildrens.org

Our scientists and physicians conduct extensive laboratory and clinical research to identify new treatments and improve therapies for children with hematologic malignancies. Our team's achievements include:

  • Improving leukemia cure rates and reducing chemotherapy-associated side effects
  • Developing treatment protocols that offer the best published cure rates for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
  • Conducting innovative clinical trials of new, promising agents in children with relapsed and refractory leukemia and lymphoma
  • Reducing the risk of late effects of treatment (learning disabilities, heart dysfunction, and bone problems) in leukemia survivors
  • Discovering unique genetic mutations associated with histiocytosis and working to develop treatments based on this discovery

We lead an internationally recognized clinical trials consortium for children and adolescents with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia — the DFCI/ALL Consortium — consisting of 9 institutions in the United States and Canada. We are a founding member of a small national consortium of leading medical centers that investigate new treatments for children with Hodgkin lymphoma, including innovative drug combinations (and reduced exposure to radiation) that deliver results with fewer long-term complications. In addition, we participate in clinical trials conducted by the Histiocyte Society for patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

To inquire about clinical trials, email us at clinicaltrials@danafarberbostonchildrens.org and read our clinical trial FAQ for answers to general questions.

Featured Leukemia Clinical Trial

Ribociclib in Combination with Everolimus and Dexamethasone in Relapsed ALL
This research study is a Phase I clinical trial evaluating a drug called ribociclib (LEE011) given in combination with everolimus and other standard of care chemotherapy drugs as a possible treatment for relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
PI: Andrew E. Place, MD, PhD