Groundbreaking pediatric leukemia treatment now available in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — KU School of Medicine-Wichita Department of Pediatrics and Wesley Children's Hospital say a groundbreaking treatment for pediatric leukemia is now available in Wichita.
Blinatumomab, which recently completed clinical trials and has won approval from the FDA, is a drug designed to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia, one of the most common types of blood and bone marrow cancer. It causes the body to produce too many lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.
The disease has a rapid onset. If left untreated, death can happen within a matter of months.
Blinatumomab uses the patient's immune system to fight the disease. It teaches the body's T-cells, a type of white blood cell, to recognize and destroy leukemia cells.
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Clinical trials showed the average risk of relapse, and survival rates rose to 97.5% with the new drug regimen vs. 90.2% for those without blinatumomab. For high-risk patients, the rate rose from 84.8% to 94.1%.
'This treatment is a transformative step forward for children in our community,' says Nathan Hall, D.O., MBA, M.S., associate professor and director of pediatric hematology and oncology at KU Wichita Pediatrics and Wesley Medical Center. 'For families facing the challenge of a leukemia diagnosis, this therapy offers new possibilities and a hope for one day curing all pediatric cancer.'
The treatment is now available thanks to a partnership between the KU School of Medicine-Wichita Department of Pediatrics, Wesley Children's Hospital and Children's Oncology Group.
'This partnership aligns with our mission to provide comprehensive, family-centered care while pushing the boundaries of what is possible in pediatric medicine,' says Brian Pate, M.D., chair of the Department of Pediatrics at KU School of Medicine-Wichita. 'Families no longer need to seek care outside the state to access treatments. Instead, they can receive world-class care right here in Wichita, and we are also using these opportunities to train future pediatricians in the only pediatric training program in Kansas.'
The Children's Oncology Group is a member of the National Cancer Institute National Clinical Trials Group, the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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