PUMA (Paediatric Osseous Marrow Assessment)

This is a pilot cancer imaging study investigating change in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) at a single time point post-transplantation in patients. The treatment is bone marrow transplant as per standard patient care, without change for trial purposes. Its main aim is to evaluate the engraftment of bone marrow after transplantation performing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine and pelvis at baseline and after 2-3 weeks after the transplantation (according to the appearances of raised white blood cells).This will enhance the understanding of bone marrow features on imaging at engraftment and improve the management of children/young adults who suffer acute leukaemia. Following allogenic haemopoietic stem cell transplantation, changes in bone marrow apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) are measurable at the point of engraftment and in conjunction with peripheral blood counts may provide a future biomarker of successful clinical outcome.