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"This study reflects our unique capability and commitment to follow our survivors indefinitely through our After Completion of Therapy program and Cancer Registry here at St. Jude," said William Evans, Pharm.D., scientific director of St. Jude and a co-author of the study. "This study provided us important information to further refine therapy for our current and future patients."

With a cure rate of 80 percent in childhood ALL now achieved at St. Jude, attention is increasingly focused on the quality of life of survivors.

"One of the modifications that we made to our current treatment protocols is to use intensive chemotherapy instead of radiation to control leukemia in the central nervous system," Pui said. "This approach appears promising among more than 100 patients treated thus far. Elimination of radiation-related complications can help us to push the cure rate toward 90 percent and to improve the quality of life of our survivors."

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Contact: Bonnie Cameron
bonnie.cameron@stjude.org
901-495-4815
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
13-Aug-2003