Lymphoma & Leukemia
Research in blood cancers moves quickly, and much of it is about people whose disease came back or did not respond to the first treatment.
What research in this area looks at
Lymphoma starts in the lymph system, the network of glands and vessels that helps fight infection. Leukemia starts in the bone marrow, where blood cells are made. Both come in many types, and studies are usually written for one type and one point in treatment.
Trials in this area test targeted medicines, antibodies, cell therapies made from a person’s own immune cells, and ways to make existing treatment gentler. Others follow people for years after treatment to learn about late effects.
Kinds of study you will come across
Listings in this area usually fall into one of these. A single study can sit in more than one.
First treatment
Compare a new combination with the usual first treatment for a specific type.
After relapse
Look at options for disease that returned or did not respond to earlier treatment.
Cell therapy
Collect and change a person’s immune cells, then give them back to target the cancer.
Survivorship
Follow health and quality of life once treatment has finished.
What visits can include
- Blood counts at most visits, and bone marrow samples at set points
- Scans to measure the size of lymph nodes or other disease
- Treatment given at an infusion center, sometimes over several hours
- A short hospital stay for some cell therapies
- Questionnaires about energy, appetite and daily life
What to have ready before you call
- The exact type and subtype written on your pathology report
- A list of every treatment you have had, with rough dates
- Your most recent blood counts and scan results
- The name of your hematologist or oncologist
Questions worth asking a study team
Write them down before the first call. The team has heard each one many times and expects them.
Which type and stage of disease is this study written for?
How does the study treatment compare with what I would get otherwise?
Will I need to stay near the treatment center for a while?
Who looks after me if side effects start at night or at the weekend?
Only the study team can say whether a study would take you. Talk to your own doctor before deciding. In an emergency, call 911.
Stay updated on lymphoma and leukemia research
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