Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), is a form of leukemia, or cancer of the white blood cells characterized by excess lymphoblasts.
ALL is most common in childhood with a peak incidence at 2–5 years of age, and another peak in old age. Malignant, immature white blood cells continuously multiply and are overproduced in the bone marrow. ALL causes damage and death by crowding out normal cells in the bone marrow, and by spreading to other organs.
The overall cure rate in children is about 80% in high develop countries but being fatal in as a little as a few weeks if left untreated. ALL is the most common cancer in children, representing 23 percent of cancer diagnoses among children younger than 15 years of age.
Chemoterapy is the initial treatment of choice. Most ALL patients will receive a combination of different treatments. There are no surgical options, due to the body-wide distribution of the malignant cells.
The specific drugs used for chemotherapy are different for the various subtypes of ALL and are not the same for all patients. Treatment for children with ALL is complex and involves multiple drugs given in precise schedules over a period of two to three years. Because of this, children with the disease should be treated by doctors with experience and expertise in the treatment of childhood leukemias.
The chance of survival for children with ALL is dependent upon a number of factors. The most important factor is receiving optimal care at a center experienced in the treatment of children with ALL. Even with optimal care, some children with ALL are much more difficult to treat successfully than others.
For more information:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/sites-types/all-in-children
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