Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a type of cancer where the bone marrow makes an excessive amount of lymphocytes. The disease develops rapidly and creates immature blood cells instead of mature blood cells. ALL is also the most common type of cancer found in children and modern treatments result in a good chance for a cure. It is often caused when DNA mutations occur in bone marrow cells. While normal DNA tells the cell to grow at a set rate and die at a specific type, cells with ALL instruct the bone marrow cell to continue growing and dividing. This causes cell production to be out of control and the bone marrow will produce immature cells that multiply uncontrollably into leukemic lymphoblasts. These lymphocytes don’t function normally, block the production of normal cells, and crowd out healthy cells. Some symptoms of ALL include bleeding from gums, bone pain, frequent nose bleeds, and pale skin. Factors such as previous experience in cancer treatment using chemotherapy and radiation and having genetic disorders like Down Syndrome and Neurofibromatosis can increase the risk of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Sources:
Comments