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Chapters

0:00 Introduction
1:32 Causes of Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
2:50 Symptoms of Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
3:25 Diagnosis of Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
4:29 Treatment of Acute lymphoblastic leukemia





Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the lymphoid line of blood cells characterized by the development of large numbers of immature lymphocytes.[1] Symptoms may include feeling tired, pale skin color, fever, easy bleeding or bruising, enlarged lymph nodes, or bone pain.[1] As an acute leukemia, ALL progresses rapidly and is typically fatal within weeks or months if left untreated.[11]

In most cases, the cause is unknown.[2] Genetic risk factors may include Down syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, or neurofibromatosis type 1.[1] Environmental risk factors may include significant radiation exposure or prior chemotherapy.[1] Evidence regarding electromagnetic fields or pesticides is unclear.[4][6] Some hypothesize that an abnormal immune response to a common infection may be a trigger.[4] The underlying mechanism involves multiple genetic mutations that results in rapid cell division.[2] The excessive immature lymphocytes in the bone marrow interfere with the production of new red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.[1] Diagnosis is typically based on blood tests and bone marrow examination.[3]

ALL is typically treated initially with chemotherapy aimed at bringing about remission.[2] This is then followed by further chemotherapy typically over a number of years.[2] Treatment usually also include intrathecal chemotherapy since systemic chemotherapy can have limited penetration into the central nervous system and the central nervous system is a common site for relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.[12][13]

Treatment can also include radiation therapy if spread to the brain has occurred.[2] Stem cell transplantation may be used if the disease recurs following standard treatment.[2] Additional treatments such as Chimeric antigen receptor T cell immunotherapy are being used and further studied.[2]

ALL affected about 876,000 people globally in 2015 and resulted in about 111,000 deaths.[14][10] It occurs most commonly in children, particularly those between the ages of two and five.[15][4] In the United States it is the most common cause of cancer and death from cancer among children.[2] ALL is notable for being the first disseminated cancer to be cured.[16] Survival for children increased from under 10% in the 1960s to 90% in 2015.[2] Survival rates remain lower for babies (50%)[17] and adults (35%).[8] According to the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN), generally for people with ALL: around 70 out of 100 people (70%) will survive their leukemia for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed.