Latino children are more likely to be diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) compared to non-Latino children and more likely to have high risk disease, experience a relapse, or die due to leukemia. Sadly, this is even more apparent in Texas and across the Southwestern United States, where most newly diagnosed patients with ALL are Latino. Latino children are also more likely to have severe side effects from medicines used to treat ALL. At Texas Children's Cancer Center, we found that Latino children are more likely to have severe side effects from methotrexate, one of the most important medicines to treat ALL. If a patient has severe side effects, the pediatric oncologist may need...

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Latino children are more likely to be diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) compared to non-Latino children and more likely to have high risk disease, experience a relapse, or die due to leukemia. Sadly, this is even more apparent in Texas and across the Southwestern United States, where most newly diagnosed patients with ALL are Latino. Latino children are also more likely to have severe side effects from medicines used to treat ALL. At Texas Children's Cancer Center, we found that Latino children are more likely to have severe side effects from methotrexate, one of the most important medicines to treat ALL. If a patient has severe side effects, the pediatric oncologist may need to change the treatment plan, which may include skipping or spreading out doses so the patient can recover. We are concerned that this practice may increase the risk of relapse and decrease the chance for cure. Our proposed study will be an investigation of the severe side effects patients with ALL experience when they receive methotrexate. We will look at many factors, such as medication doses, lab results, survival, and genetic information to learn why some patients have more severe side effects than others. We believe that some patients will be at an increased risk of these severe side effects, for reasons such as age, weight, ethnicity, and genetics. To improve survival and quality of life of pediatric ALL, we need to better understand side effects that patients experience throughout therapy. Our study will help find new ways to identify which patients are at risk for severe side effects before those side effects happen. This research has the potential to better understand some of the reasons that Latino children with ALL have a lower chance for cure. If successful, we hope to implement new treatment regimens which could improve survival of a significant number of Texans affected by cancer each year.

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