In short
Treatment depends entirely on the type. CLL may be watched. CML is often controlled with tablets. AML needs urgent inpatient chemotherapy, sometimes with a stem-cell transplant. Childhood ALL uses long outpatient and inpatient protocols with high UK cure rates. World Aid Network funds bills so a course already started is not stopped because a family cannot pay.
In Britain these pathways are NHS haematology. Overseas, the drugs exist but the invoice does not get paid — which is the gap we fund.
Why does continuity matter?
Acute leukaemia protocols only work if cycles are completed. A child who stops mid-course because the money ran out loses the survival chance UK statistics describe. That is why childhood cancer is a named WAN programme.
What is a stem-cell transplant?
Some people with AML or high-risk ALL have a transplant after chemotherapy. It is specialist, risky and unavailable in many low-income hospitals. Partner capacity decides what we can fund — we do not invent a transplant unit.
Is this research funding?
No. WAN does not run trials or labs. Gifts pay for diagnosis and treatment access through licensed oncologists in Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.
What are the key takeaways?
- The four types need four different plans.
- Childhood ALL survival depends on finishing treatment.
- We fund clinical access overseas, not UK wards and not research.
- The Cancer Emergency Appeal funds all types of cancer, including blood cancers.
Care like this is out of reach for millions
The diagnosis, screening and treatment described here are routine in the UK. In Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia, poverty puts them out of reach — so a treatable cancer too often becomes a fatal one. World Aid Network funds treatment through locally-licensed oncologists for patients who cannot pay.
Frequently asked questions
Can leukaemia be cured?
Childhood ALL often is. Some adult types are controlled long-term rather than described as cured. AML outcomes vary widely with age and genetics.
Does chemotherapy always mean losing hair?
Intensive AML and ALL regimens often cause hair loss. Some CLL and CML treatments do not. Ask the treating team about the specific drugs.
Do you treat leukaemia in the UK?
No. UK care is NHS haematology. We fund poor patients overseas.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. It was reviewed by the World Aid Network editorial team for accuracy against NHS and World Health Organization sources. Always speak to a GP or qualified clinician about your own health.