Research into causes and prevention

Remarkable progress has been made in the treatment of childhood leukaemia over recent decades.

The progress in treating childhood leukaemia is one of the greatest medical success stories of the twentieth century.

Childhood leukaemia has been transformed from a disease which was universally fatal to one which can be successfully treated in more than 80 per cent of cases.

But we still know surprisingly little about the causes.

Understanding the causes.
Unfortunately, the remarkable progress in treating childhood leukaemia has not been matched by progress in understanding its underlying causes.

Research into the causes of childhood leukaemia is important because we need to establish whether prevention is a possibility.

Identifying risk factors
We need to identify risk factors and determine whether it is possible to develop interventions that will reduce the incidence of leukaemia in children. This would spare children from the dreadful trauma of treatment, as well as the risk of long-term treatment-related effects.

Research into the causes of childhood leukaemia is a broad field of research.

It includes not only research into possible environmental and lifestyle causes of the disease (such as diet, exposure to environmental chemicals) but also the underlying biological mechanisms by which leukaemia develops.

Understanding the biology
Childhood leukaemia is a complex disease; more correctly it is a collection of diseases with different biological characteristics.

Improving our understanding of the biology of the different forms of the disease will in turn inform the development of more effective treatments. 

• Read about our ongoing research into causes and prevention
• Read about projects which have already been completed