New NCCN Guidelines for treating Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

According to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), the treatment approach to ALL is one of the most complex and intensive programs in cancer therapy.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has published NCCN Guidelines for Patients®: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, the newest addition to the library of NCCN Guidelines for Patients®. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients®: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, through the support of the NCCN Foundation®, is available to view and download free-of-charge at NCCN.org/patients; for information about print copies, visit NCCN.org/patients.

"Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a very aggressive disease and patients are faced with a multitude of decisions in a short period of time," said Marcie R. Reeder, MPH, Executive Director, NCCN Foundation. "NCCN hopes that this resource will help patients and their caregivers make well-informed decisions about their care."

For ease of use, the NCCN Guidelines for Patients®: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is organized by distinct patient populations—age group [adolescent and young adult (ages 15 - 39) vs. older adult (ages 40+)] and presence of the Philadelphia chromosome.

NCCN Guidelines for Patients®, translations of the NCCN Guidelines®, are designed to provide people with cancer and their caregivers state-of-the-art treatment information in easy-to-understand language. The NCCN Guidelines are developed by multidisciplinary panels of experts from NCCN Member Institutions and feature algorithms that address appropriate management options from initial work-up throughout the course of the disease.

NCCN Guidelines for Patients are written according to plain language principles to improve health literacy, and the design and format feature patient-friendly elements such as medical illustrations alongside descriptions of body parts, tests, and treatments. NCCN Guidelines for Patients®: ALL also includes an expansive glossary with definitions of medical terms and acronyms. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients do not replace the expertise and clinical judgment of the physician.

NCCN currently offers NCCN Guidelines for Patients for the following: Breast, Colon, Esophageal, Non-Small Cell Lung, Ovarian, Pancreatic, and Prostate Cancers; Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; Caring for Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA); Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia; Lung Cancer Screening; Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma; Melanoma; Multiple Myeloma; and Soft Tissue Sarcoma.

Source: National Comprehensive Cancer Network