This protocol covers acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in patients whose disease has either returned after a period of remission, or has failed to respond to treatment altogether — two distinct but closely related situations that call for a specific therapeutic approach.
Some patients with ALL experience a relapse — the disease returns after remission. In others, the cancer does not respond to treatment and no remission is achieved; this is classified as refractory ALL.
Both presentations define the patient population this protocol addresses and shape the treatment decisions that follow.
Management of relapsed or refractory ALL draws on several categories of intervention, including chemotherapy-based regimens and, depending on disease characteristics and patient fitness, targeted and cellular therapies.