New research has endorsed a long‑standing idea explaining why acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) – the most common cancer in children – appears abruptly in early life, often in otherwise healthy individuals, with no obvious environmental trigger. Read more: https://www.icr.ac.uk/about-us/icr-news/detail/childhood-leukaemia-and-germs--research-reveals-the-critical-importance-of-timing

Led by experts including Dr. David O'Connor (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health), the study found children and young people with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) can be treated safely with significantly less intensive chemotherapy. Read more: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-gentler-blood-cancer-treatment-boost.html

A research team identified three genes connected to a rare form of childhood leukaemia and found that clinically available drugs had a positive influence on these genes in tests on mice, increasing rates of survival. Read more: https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/repurposed-drugs-could-improve-treatment-for-rare-infant-leukaemia/68964/

UC Irvine-led study found that exposure to previously unknown PFAS chemicals was associated with a higher risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer. Read more: https://news.uci.edu/2026/04/27/forever-chemicals-may-be-linked-to-childhood-leukemia/

Now, Cincinnati Children’s is working with New Zealand-based BioOra, Ltd, to launch a clinical trial that would bring a lower-risk, “third-generation” CAR-T therapy—called Alta-cel—to children and teens with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Read more: https://scienceblog.cincinnatichildrens.org/clinical-trial-to-evaluate-safer-car-t-cell-therapy-for-children/

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is the most common form of childhood cancer. In this type of cancer, which affects blood cells, one of the most common abnormalities is the presence of cells with an excess of chromosomes (hyperdiploidy), a condition that leads to chromosomal instability. Now, a study published in Cell Reports reveals that this chromosomal instability caused by hyperdiploidy reduces the proliferation of the affected cells, delays their differentiation an

Researchers in Japan find that B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with NUTM1 gene rearrangements is a unique form of the disease, with a distinct pattern of gene activity and gene regulation that is highly sensitive to chemotherapy. Read more: https://www.asiaresearchnews.com/content/nutm1-rearrangements-cause-highly-treatable-form-infant-leukemia

Exposure to petrol compounds appears to be associated with an increased risk of childhood leukemia, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to a systematic review published in Blood and Lymphatic Cancer: Targets and Therapy . Read more: https://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com/news/parent-child-petrol-exposure-higher-childhood-leukemia-risk-treatment/

Timely, developmentally tailored diagnostic disclosure may reduce anxiety and strengthen coping among school-aged children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to exploratory findings from Taiwan published in Patient Education and Counseling . Read more: https://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com/news/acute-leukemia-child-centered-disclosure-well-being-treatment-risk/

Researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital show that microbial cell-free DNA sequencing can predict bloodstream infections in children with leukemia days before the symptoms appear. Read more: https://www.stjude.org/media-resources/news-releases/2026-medicine-science-news/cell-free-dna-offers-early-warning-for-bloodstream-infections-in-kids-with-leukemia.html