The LLS Blog

Ushering In a New Era of Pediatric Blood Cancer Treatment and Care

By LLS Staff | October, 2020

We caught up with Gwen Nichols, MD, Chief Medical Officer at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), to share the progress we’re making to bring cures and better care to children with blood cancer through The LLS Children’s Initiative.

Tell us about The LLS Children’s Initiative and why it’s so important to you and LLS.

When I joined LLS in the spring of 2017, I knew my first order of business would be advancing our work for pediatric blood cancers. As a physician and researcher, I had seen first-hand the limitations of current therapies and the devastating long-term effects of treatment experienced by childhood cancer survivors. I could not stand by any longer. Together with our community of volunteers, patients, families, researchers, and partners, we realized it would take unprecedented collaboration – and our signature grit – to transform pediatric blood cancer treatment and care. Last year, we launched The LLS Children’s Initiative, a $100 million, multi-year endeavor to take on childhood blood cancer from every direction, including research, education and support, and advocacy. Our goal is to help children not only survive their cancer but thrive in their lives after treatment. With the pandemic impacting patients’ access to treatment, it’s more important than ever to put patients and families at the center of their care. That’s exactly what LLS is doing. 

As a longtime champion of precision medicine and breakthrough research, how is LLS working to bring the promise of precision medicine to pediatric blood cancer patients?

Children have been treated with a one-size-fits-all approach for too long, despite cancer behaving differently in children than in adults. For many childhood cancers, chemotherapies developed decades ago remain the standard of care and simply don’t work well enough. In this era of precision medicine – giving the right treatment to the right patient at the right time – it’s critical for children to receive new therapies designed just for them. At the heart of The LLS Children’s Initiative is LLS PedAL, the first global precision medicine clinical trial for pediatric acute leukemia. LLS PedAL will test multiple novel therapies simultaneously at more than 200 clinical sites worldwide to bring safer, more effective treatments to children and young adults with relapsed acute leukemia. Through LLS PedAL, we will identify and validate underlying molecular drivers of disease and match patients with the most promising treatments based on their unique tumor biology. Ultimately, every child who enters the trial will receive screening to determine their specific biological markers.

When will the LLS PedAL trial open, and what progress has been made so far? 

We anticipate opening LLS PedAL by summer 2021. Until then, we’re pressing forward. Thankfully, we have brilliant physicians, scientists, volunteers, patient organizations, partners, and pharma/biotech companies in our corner. Earlier this summer, LLS and The Children’s Oncology Group, a national clinical trials network supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) with more than 9,000 clinical experts in childhood cancer at top children’s hospitals and institutions, joined forces. Approximately 200 COG sites across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand will now be eligible to participate in LLS PedAL. We’re also collaborating with researchers and regulators in the U.K. and EU. By tapping into established infrastructures, we’ll be able to bring better treatments to children with relapsed acute leukemia rather than requiring families to travel to hospitals far from home. What’s more, we’ve partnered with PRA Health Sciences to help us manage the trial. We’re also in discussions with several pharma companies. And we’re working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on the trial protocol. All of these milestones are powered by a shared drive to cure pediatric blood cancers. 

LLS and Burlington Stores Celebrate 19 Years of Partnership in the Fight Against Blood Cancer

By LLS Staff | September, 2020

With a focus on pediatric cancer, Burlington will host its annual in store fundraising campaign and conduct celebratory drive-by ‘parades’ for survivors

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), the world's largest nonprofit dedicated to fighting blood cancer, and the national off-price retailer, Burlington Stores, team up for the 19th consecutive year to raise critical funds for lifesaving research and cancer treatments. This year, funds raised in all Burlington store locations nationwide will not only support LLS’s mission to find cures and help blood cancer patients access the care they need, but also support The LLS Children’s Initiative. LLS’s newly established initiative is setting out to change the course of treatment and care and provides much-needed financial and emotional support to the children and their families impacted by blood cancer. 

From September 28th through November 30th, Burlington is encouraging customers to donate $1 or more at checkout in its more than 739 stores nationwide. Donating as little as a dollar can provide support towards cutting-edge blood cancer research, and help save children’s lives, so they not only survive but thrive after treatment.

Statement on the Death of Supreme Court Justice and Trailblazer Ruth Bader Ginsburg

By Dr. Louis J. DeGennaro, President and CEO of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society | September, 2020

Photo by Nikki Khan/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Here at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), we are devastated to learn of the passing of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer. As the global leader in the fight against blood cancer, we stand with the cancer community – and all Americans – in mourning this trailblazer whose contributions to public health and equality will be felt by generations to come.

Justice Ginsburg battled various forms of cancer over the years, including colon, lung, and pancreatic cancer. Even while enduring treatment, she was determined to continue her critical work on the Supreme Court, all while maintaining strength, compassion, and benevolence. Known for her incredible resilience, she spoke openly about her cancer experience, inspiring patients and families everywhere.

Throughout her long and storied career, she was a champion for equality. Our community of blood cancer patients, families, and volunteers is forever grateful for her role siding with the court majority in 2015. By upholding the Affordable Care Act, and through several later decisions, Justice Ginsburg protected patients from discrimination based on their health history – a devastating practice that was common prior to the enactment of that landmark law. The law also marked important progress toward addressing healthcare disparities that impact people of color and other underserved populations, helping to reduce gaps in health insurance coverage and access. Because of her tireless efforts, more cancer patients have been able to access the lifesaving care they need.

Justice Ginsburg leaves an immense legacy. As we mourn her death, we stand committed to honoring her by continuing to fight for patients’ equal access to quality, affordable healthcare. Justice Ginsburg once said, “Real change – enduring change – happens one step at a time.” Together with our patients, volunteers, advocates, caregivers, survivors, families, researchers, and healthcare professionals, we are dedicated to stepping up together to create a world without blood cancer.