Treating Childhood Leukemia
If your child has been diagnosed with leukemia, the cancer care team will discuss treatment options with you. It is important to weigh the benefits of each treatment option against the possible risks and side effects.
How is childhood leukemia treated?
The main treatments for most childhood leukemias are medications like chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted drugs. For some children with higher-risk leukemias or leukemias that have not responded well to treatment, high-dose chemotherapy may be given along with a stem cell transplant. Other treatments may be used in special circumstances.
Common treatment approaches
After leukemia is diagnosed and tests have been done to determine the specific type, your child’s cancer care team will discuss the treatment options with you. The most important factor in choosing a treatment is the type of leukemia, but other factors also play a role.
Treatment of acute forms of childhood leukemia (ALL or AML) is usually very intensive, so it is important that it take place in a center that specializes in treating childhood cancers.
Who treats leukemia in children?
Children and teens with leukemia and their families have special needs that can best be met by children’s cancer centers. These centers have teams of specialists who know the differences between cancers in adults and those in children and teens, as well as the unique needs of younger people with cancer.
For childhood leukemias, this team is typically led by a pediatric oncologist, a doctor who treats cancer in children. Many other health professionals may be involved in your child’s care as well, including other doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), psychologists, social workers, dieticians, rehabilitation specialists, and others.
Making treatment decisions
After leukemia is diagnosed and tests have been done to determine its type, your child’s cancer care team will discuss the treatment options with you.
It is important to discuss your child’s treatment options as well as their possible side effects with the treatment team to help make the decision that is the best fit for your child. If there is anything you do not understand, ask to have it explained.
Learn more in Talking to Your Child’s Cancer Care Team.
Questions to ask before childhood leukemia treatment
Choosing a treatment
- What are our treatment choices?
- What do you recommend and why?
- Are there any clinical trials we should consider?
- How soon do we need to start treatment?
- Should we get a second opinion? How would we do that? Can you recommend a doctor or cancer center?
- What will our options be if the treatment does not work or if the leukemia comes back?
What to expect during treatment
- What should we do to be ready for treatment?
- How long will treatment last? What will it be like?
- What are the chances of curing the leukemia with this treatment?
- Will the treatment be given in the hospital, clinic or at home?
- Can my child go to school while getting treatment? How will treatment affect our daily life?
Possible side effects and long-term effects
- What are the risks and side effects of the treatments you recommend?
- Which side effects start shortly after treatment, and which ones might develop later on?
- Is there anything we can do to help manage or avoid side effects?
- What symptoms or side effects should we tell you about right away?
- How can we reach you or someone on your team on nights, weekends, or holidays?
- Will treatment affect my child’s ability to learn, grow, and develop?
- Will treatment affect my child’s future ability to have children?
Support and resources
- Who can we talk to if we have questions about costs, insurance coverage, or social support?
- Do you know of any support groups where we can talk to other families who have been through this?
Other things to consider
- If time allows, consider getting a second opinion to feel more confident about the treatment plan you choose for you or your child.
- Clinical trials study new treatments and may offer access to promising options not widely available. They are also how doctors learn better ways to treat cancer. Children’s cancer centers often conduct many clinical trials at any one time. Many children treated at these centers take part in a clinical trial as part of their treatment. If you would like to learn more about clinical trials that might be right for you or your child, start by asking the treatment team if your clinic or hospital conducts clinical trials.
- You may hear about ways to relieve symptoms or treat your cancer such as herbs, diets, acupuncture, massage, or many others. Integrative (holistic) methods are used with standard care, while alternative ones replace it. Some may help with symptoms, but many aren’t proven to work and could even be harmful. Talk with the care team first to make sure anything you're considering is safe and won’t interfere with your or your child’s treatment.
Preparing for treatment
Before treatment, the doctors and other members of the team will help you understand the tests that will need to be done.
Your child’s cancer care team will also often include a social worker. The team’s social worker will be there to support you and your family before, during and after treatment. Adjusting to a new cancer diagnosis and its treatment plan can be tough, but the cancer care team is there to help. Learn more in Helping Your Child Adjust to a Cancer Diagnosis.
Social and emotional health during treatment
Social and emotional distress may come up during and after treatment. Factors such as the child’s age and the extent of treatment can play a role.
Some children have emotional or psychological health issues that need to be addressed during and after treatment. Depending on their age, they may also have some problems with normal functioning and schoolwork. These types of issues can often be helped with support and encouragement. Doctors and other members of the health care team can also often recommend special support programs and services to help children after treatment. For more information, see Helping Your Child Transition from Treatment to Survivorship.
Many experts recommend that school-aged patients attend school as much as they can. This can help them maintain a routine and tell their friends about what is happening.
Friends can be a great source of support, but patients and parents should know that some people may have wrong ideas about cancer and fears of their own. Some cancer centers have school re-entry programs that can help in these situations. In these programs, health educators visit the school and tell students about cancer, its treatment and what changes they may notice in their classmate. They also answer any questions their class might have. (For more information, see Going to School During and After Cancer Treatment.)
Parents and other family members can also be affected, both emotionally and in other ways. Some common family concerns during treatment include financial stresses, traveling to and staying near the cancer center, the need to take time off from work, and the need for home schooling. Social workers and others at your treatment center can help sort through these issues.
Centers that treat many patients with leukemia may have programs to introduce new patients and their families to others who have finished their treatment. This can give them an idea of what to expect during and after treatment, which can be very important.
Help getting through cancer treatment
Your child's cancer care team will be your first source of information and support, but there are other resources for help when you need it. Hospital- or clinic-based support services can also be an important part of cancer care. These might include nursing or social work services, financial aid, nutritional advice, rehab, or spiritual help. For children and teens with cancer and their families, other specialists can be an important part of care as well.
The American Cancer Society also has programs and services—including rides to treatment, lodging, and more—to help you get through treatment. Call our National Cancer Information Center at 1-800-227-2345 and speak with one of our trained specialists.
The treatment information given here is not official policy of the American Cancer Society and is not intended as medical advice to replace the expertise and judgment of your cancer care team. It is intended to help you and your family make informed decisions, together with your doctor. Your doctor may have reasons for suggesting a treatment plan different from these general treatment options. Don't hesitate to ask your cancer care team any questions you may have about your treatment options.
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- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
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Last Revised: July 22, 2025
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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