Children with high-risk leukaemia

Bone-marrow transplants (BMT) are an effective treatment for children with high-risk leukaemia, but unfortunately, this treatment carries a risk of severe and long-lasting side effects, which are fatal in approximately 10% of the children. One major cause of these side effects is damage to the small blood vessels.

“There is a potentially beneficial treatment, but we do not have precise methods of identifying which patient groups can benefit from this treatment. In this project, which is supported by the Vissing Foundation, we want to develop a blood test that can help to diagnose these side effects precisely at an early stage,” says Klaus Müller from the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Rigshospital.

The researchers hope that earlier and more precise diagnosis can reduce both mortality and long-term side effects in patients.

“It will not only make a difference for children with marrow transplants; it will also apply to other groups of cancer patients in which side effects of this type are known,” says Klaus Mülller.