Overview of Clinical Services for Leukemia & Hematological Malignancies
Leukemia is cancer of the blood and develops in the bone marrow. The bone marrow is the soft, spongy center of the long bones that produces the three major blood cells: white blood cells to fight infection; red blood cells that carry oxygen; and platelets that help with blood clotting and stop bleeding.
Leukemia is the most common form of cancer in childhood. It affects approximately 3,000 children each year in the United States, accounting for about 30 percent of childhood cancers. Information about childhood leukemia can be found at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, which is within easy walking distance from the Stanford Cancer Center, and also Stanford Hospital & Clinics.
Stanford Expertise
Patients with leukemia are evaluated and treated in Stanford's Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant clinics by a team of world-renowned physicians. We offer state-of-the-art chemotherapy protocols for leukemia and other hematologic malignancies, and Stanford hematologists have helped develop the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for the management of hematologic malignancies.
Our goal is to improve the survival and quality of life of patients. Stanford Cancer Center physicians have particular expertise in the management of:
Blood & Marrow Transplantation
Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT) has evolved over the past 20 years into a successful therapy for a variety of malignant and non-malignant diseases. The BMT Program at Stanford is committed to outstanding clinical care and research. This commitment, in conjunction with the numerous research resources and comprehensive support services offered at Stanford, assures the best possible outcome for our patients and their families.
The intent of the program is curative rather than palliative; the goal is full reintegration of each patient into his/her normal, everyday life. Since the program’s inception in 1986 more than 3,100 adults and children have received blood or marrow transplants at Stanford.
All advances in blood and marrow transplantation are evaluated and developed using clinical trials. Our BMT Program is currently conducting over 50 clinical trials. We participate in national cooperative group clinical trials, pharmaceutical trials and the BMT Clinical Trials Network of the United States. Additionally, research in our program is supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Stanford's BMT Program has been approved as a fully accredited participating center in the National Marrow Donor Program, which provides bone marrow for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation from fully or closely matched volunteer donors. The program is fully accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). Our cell processing laboratory provides state-of-the-art techniques and novel therapeutic approaches designed to improve treatment outcomes.
Myelodysplastic Syndrome Center
Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) is a pre-leukemic bone marrow disease that often transforms into long-term marrow dysfunction or outright leukemia. Dr. Peter Greenberg, an internationally recognized leader in this disorder, operates an MDS center at Stanford. He and colleagues have formulated a new classification system for MDS that assists in treatment planning and prognosis. He has also taken a lead in determining national treatment guidelines.
Leading Research
Through their laboratory investigation and clinical research, Stanford clinicians are identifying the biologic mechanisms responsible for the development of leukemia, and developing more effective therapies to address these diseases. For example, researchers recently identified a set of 133 genes that point to the most dangerous strains of adult acute myeloid leukemia, or AML. In the not so distant future, their research may help doctors pick the best treatment for their AML patients.
Clinical Trial Participation
Physicians from the Division of Hematology are engaged a number of clinical trials through the Southwest Oncology Group and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, as well as in Stanford-based studies. Some of our current clinical trials include:
- Antibody therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- Arsenic trioxide for promyelocytic leukemia
- Anti-angiogenesis therapies (treatments that seek to prevent tumors from generating new blood supplies to nourish themselves)
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