The ALL-BFM registry collects data from children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). This is performed regardless of the young patients’ participation in a clinical trial. The collected data allows researchers to plan new clinical trials and research projects.
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia – ALL for short – is the most common form of leukaemia (blood cancer) in childhood and adolescence, accounting for roughly a third of all cancers in this age group. Thanks to intensive research, more than 90% of children and adolescents with ALL can now be permanently cured. The treatment consists of a combination of several drugs that are effective against leukaemia.
Research on ALL includes clinical trials designed to improve the treatment for patients and accompanying research projects. In the research projects, medical data from patients with ALL are analysed.
Why the study is needed
The aim of the ALL-BFM Registry is to collect and evaluate medical data from all young patients with ALL in order to improve the diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents with ALL. Furthermore, the data will be available for future treatment optimisation studies and research projects.
Although the project participants do not gain personally from taking part in this research project, future patients will reap the benefits: the evaluated data will give researchers new insights into the diagnosis, treatment planning and course of the disease. By doing so, the registry data helps deepen our scientific understanding of ALL, thereby possibly improving the care of children and adolescents with ALL in the future.
Who can participate in the study
The ALL-BFM Registry is an international research project including children and adolescents with ALL from various countries. Around 60 patients are expected to take part each year in Switzerland.
Who is responsible for the study
The ALL-BFM Competence Centre at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, is responsible for the international implementation of the research project (sponsor). The Swiss Paediatric Oncology Group (SPOG) is responsible for the research project in Switzerland (sponsor’s representative).
- Swiss study director: Prof. Jean-Pierre Bourquin MD, PhD, Chief Physician Oncology / Head of the Department of Oncology, Haematology, Immunology, Stem Cell Transplantation and Somatic Gene Therapy, University Children’s Hospital Zurich
- Deputy study director in Switzerland: Dr. med. Mutlu Kartal-Kaess, Senior Physician, Children’s Hospital, Inselspital, University Hospital Berne
Contact details for the sponsor’s representative in Switzerland:
SPOG Coordinating Center
Partner Relations
Effingerstrasse 33
3008 Bern
E-mail: partnerrelations@spog.ch
Phone: +41 31 389 91 89
In short
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The data from young patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) are regularly analysed to ensure that children and adolescents receive high-quality medical care.
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The data will be available for future studies in order to improve treatment and also for research projects.
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The researchers use the data to identify young patients for whom a clinical study is available.