A nationwide study from Karolinska Institutet shows that genetic testing can identify germline predisposition underlying childhood leukemia. The findings, published in Nature Communications, could help enable more personalized treatment and long-term follow-up. Read more: https://news.ki.se/nationwide-study-identifies-inherited-genetic-risk-factors-in-childhood-leukemia

By reprogramming a patient’s own immune cells to recognize and destroy cancer, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have significantly improved survival for children with refractory or relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). However, decades of research and care have shown that treatment for pediatric cancers can affect survivors long into adulthood. So, learning from the past, a national group of physicians and scientists developing CAR T–cell therapies (the

Scientists found that the protein promotes survival of KMT2A-rearranged leukemia, presenting a previously unappreciated vulnerability. Read more: https://www.stjude.org/media-resources/news-releases/2026-medicine-science-news/mbnl1-identified-as-potential-cancer-drug-target-for-type-of-childhood-leukemia.html

Adult childhood cancer survivors (CCS) of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) frequently report mental distress, fatigue and executive function (EF) impairment, according to a study published online in Current Oncology. Read more: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-mental-distress-fatigue-common-childhood.html

Scientists from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and collaborators have identified the RNA-binding protein RBM5 as a potential vulnerability in a set of difficult-to-treat childhood leukemias. Read more: https://www.stjude.org/media-resources/news-releases/2026-medicine-science-news/targeting-rbm5-may-help-disrupt-undruggable-myc-in-childhood-leukemia.html

Indiana University School of Medicine cancer researchers have identified a potential way to use existing, accessible drugs to combat juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) by targeting a specific inflammatory pathway. Read more: https://firstwordpharma.com/story/7627533

This agent is more like a lock-and-key approach aimed at the biology driving the leukemia itself. The hope is not just survival, but a better life after survival, because for children, beating cancer isn't the end of the story. Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/emory-university-team-explores-promising-new-therapy-for-childhood-leukemia-with-fewer-toxic-effects/

A team of scientists has uncovered new evidence that some cases of a subtype of childhood leukaemia may develop before birth, shedding light on how the disease evolves over time. Read more: https://www.icr.ac.uk/about-us/icr-news/detail/new-study-traces-rare-form-of-childhood-leukaemia-back-to-before-birth

Pediatric Non-Hispanic Black patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are at increased risk for acute kidney injury (AKI) during treatment, according to research published in Cancer Medicine. Read more: https://www.cancertherapyadvisor.com/news/pediatric-non-hispanic-black-aml-all-patients-acute-kidney-injury/

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