Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
ALL is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.
In particular the spongy tissue inside bones where the blood cells are made.This illness got its name from a group of white blood cells that are called lymphocytic.
Lymphocytic cells fight infection. The disease is called acute, because it progresses rapidly and affects immature blood cells rather than the mature ones. ALL is also known as Acute Childhood Leukemia.
As a rule our bone marrow produces immature cells (stem cells) in a controlled way, which mature and specialize into various types of blood cells as required. When people have ALL numbers of immature, abnormal lymphocytics are produced and released into the bloodstream. This is due to the production process going astray, and when this process does not work correctly these cells multiply quickly and squeeze out the healthy blood cells, leaving the patient open to infection and easy bleeding. Leukemia cells also congregate in other areas of the body such as the central nervous system and spinal cord, causing serious health problems.
ALL is a type of cancer that affects more children than adults. Although the disease does get worse rapidly if not treated, it does respond well to the treatments.
Signs and Symptoms
In the early stages of the disease signs and symptoms are very similar to those of the flu or other ordinary illnesses.
Other signs are due to a shortage of properly functioning blood cells. This is due to the overcrowding of the leukemia cells. When this happens a group of different problems occur, depending on the type of blood cell affected.
- Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body.When there is shortage of these cells (anemia) it can cause fatigue, pale skin and shortness of breath.
- White blood cells are infection fighters; they help the body to ward off germs. When there is a shortage of these cells (leucopenia) or another type of white blood cells called neutrophils (neutropenia) it can result in frequent infections.
- Blood platelets are cells that control and prevent bleeding by inducing the blood to clot. A shortage of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia) results in easy bleeding and bruising. Other symptoms are severe nosebleeds, bleeding of the gums and small red marks that indicate bleeding into the skin (petechiae).
ALL has been known to cause painless lumps in the lymph nodes around the neck, underarm, stomach or groin. It can also cause joint pain, bone pain and pain on the left side of the ribs due to the swelling of the spleen. It can spread outside the blood in to your central nervous system and other organs causing weakness, dizziness, vomiting, headaches, seizures and blurred vision.
T-Cell is a type of ALL that often causes swelling in an organ called a thymus which is situated in the chest near the heart. When the thymus swells it can press on the windpipe, causing shortness of breath and coughing or press on a large vein that carries blood from the arms and head to the heart causing swelling of the head or arms. This would cause a medical emergency that does respond to treatment.
Possible risk factors are:
- Children and adults who have undergone some kind or cancer therapy.
- People who have been exposed to high levels of radiation.
- Certain genetic disorders, for example Down syndrome, have been known to be a high risk .
- People with siblings with ALL are slightly more likely to develop the disease also.
Screening:
If any of the symptoms of leukemia are present, blood and bone marrow tests will be ordered. These tests will help identify which kind of leukemia is present since there are four main types and several subtypes.
Diagnosis & Tests:
Blood tests are done to check the red and white cell count. People with ALL usually have too many white cells and not enough red cells and platelets. Another indicator of ALL is the presence of “blast cells” these are immature cells usually found in the bone marrow but not circulating in the blood. These tests can only suggest there could be ALL present but the test below is also required.
Bone marrow test is done to confirm the findings of the blood tests. The bone marrow test is usually performed by either a nurse or doctor who removes a sample of the bone marrow from the hip (posterior iliac crest) with a needle to check for leukemia cells.
If leukemia is suspected then the patient may be referred to a doctor who specializes in cancer (oncologist) or one who specializes in blood and blood forming tissues (hematologist) for this procedure. If a child is the patient then they could be referred to a pediatric doctor and a pediatric cancer center.
The treatments and medication for ALL will be continued in my next article.
For more information, please see the following: www.cancer.ca, www.cancer.org, www.healthline.ca
Information provided in this article is for general knowledge only. I am not a medical expert. Neither Suite101 nor myself is liable for any errors or omission and any consequences thereof. Please check with your health care provider with any questions or health concerns.
