The National Comprehensive Cancer Network has a new set of guidelines for patients-this time for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).
The organization notes that the treatment approach to ALL is one of the most complex and intensive programs in cancer therapy. The new guidelines are available for free download at http://NCCN.org/patients.
"Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a very aggressive disease, and patients are faced with a multitude of decisions in a short period of time," said Marcie R. Reeder, MPH, Executive Director of the NCCN Foundation. "NCCN hopes that this resource will help patients and their caregivers make well-informed decisions about their care."
The guidelines are organized by distinct patient populations-age group (adolescent and young adults-i.e., ages 15 to 39) versus older adults (ages 40 and over), and the presence or absence of the Philadelphia chromosome.
NCCN currently offers NCCN Guidelines for Patients for the following cancers: breast, colon, esophageal, non-small-cell lung, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers; caring for adolescents and young adults; chronic myelogenous leukemia; lung cancer screening; malignant pleural mesothelioma; melanoma; multiple myeloma; and soft tissue sarcoma.