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Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)

The Basics

Written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate пїЅ пїЅ

What is acute lymphoblastic leukemia? " пїЅ Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, called "ALL, " пїЅ is a type of blood cancer. ALL is fast-growing and needs to be treated quickly. пїЅ пїЅ

Blood is made up of different types of cells. These cells are made in the middle of your bones, in a part called the bone marrow. пїЅ пїЅ

When people have ALL, their bone marrow makes abnormal blood cells instead of normal blood cells. These abnormal blood cells grow out of control, get into the blood, and travel around the body. Sometimes, these cells collect in certain parts of the body. пїЅ пїЅ

When the bone marrow makes abnormal blood cells, it does not make the normal blood cells a persons body needs. This can cause symptoms. пїЅ пїЅ

What are the symptoms of ALL? " пїЅ The most common symptoms of ALL include: пїЅ пїЅ

  • Feeling very tired and weak
  • Bleeding more easily than normal
  • Getting sick from infections more easily than normal

Is there a test for ALL? " пїЅ Yes. Your doctor or nurse will talk with you and do an exam. He or she will also do: пїЅ пїЅ

  • Blood tests
  • Bone marrow biopsy " пїЅ A doctor will take a very small sample of the bone marrow. Then another doctor will look at the cells under a microscope to see if abnormal (cancer) cells are present.

How is ALL treated? " пїЅ Treatment for ALL is usually made up of 3 parts. пїЅ пїЅ

The first part of treatment is called "induction of remission " пїЅ and lasts about 4 weeks. During this part, people stay in the hospital and get chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the term doctors use to describe a group of medicines that kill cancer cells. пїЅ пїЅ

Most people are in "remission " пїЅ after the chemotherapy. This means that doctors do not see any more abnormal blood cells in the blood or bone marrow. But even though doctors do not see any abnormal cells, there are still abnormal cells in the body. To kill these cells and prevent the ALL from returning, people need more treatment. пїЅ пїЅ

The second part of treatment is called "consolidation/intensification therapy " пїЅ and lasts a few months. During this time, people can have 1 or more of the following treatments: пїЅ пїЅ

  • More chemotherapy " пїЅ People can go to the hospital during the day to get their chemotherapy, but do not always need to stay overnight.
  • Radiation therapy " пїЅ Radiation kills cancer cells.
  • Bone marrow transplant " пїЅ This treatment replaces cells in the bone marrow that are killed by chemotherapy or radiation. These "donor " пїЅ cells can come from different places, including:People who are related to you, and whose blood matches yoursPeople who are not related to you, but whose blood matches yoursBlood (that matches yours) from a newborn baby's umbilical cord

The third part of treatment is called "maintenance therapy " пїЅ and lasts 2 to 2 пїЅ пїЅ years. During maintenance therapy, people get chemotherapy once a month. They also take other medicines (pills) on certain days of the month. Many people are able to return to their usual activities during this part of treatment. пїЅ пїЅ

What happens after treatment? " пїЅ After treatment, your doctor will check you every so often to see if the cancer comes back. Regular follow-ups include talking with your doctor, exams, and blood tests. Sometimes, your doctor will also do a bone marrow biopsy. пїЅ пїЅ

What happens if the ALL comes back? " пїЅ If the ALL comes back, you might have more chemotherapy, radiation, or bone marrow transplantation. пїЅ пїЅ

What else should I do? " пїЅ It's important to follow all your doctor's instructions about visits and tests. It's also important to talk to your doctor about any side effects or problems you have during treatment. пїЅ пїЅ

Getting treated for ALL involves making many choices, such as what treatment to have and when. пїЅ пїЅ

Always let your doctors and nurses know how you feel about a treatment. Any time you are offered a treatment, ask: пїЅ пїЅ

  • What are the benefits of this treatment? Is it likely to help me live longer? Will it reduce or prevent symptoms?
  • What are the downsides to this treatment?
  • Are there other options besides this treatment?
  • What happens if I do not have this treatment?

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. пїЅ пїЅ

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. пїЅ пїЅ

Topic 15789 Version 4.0 пїЅ пїЅ

Release: 22.8 - C22.208 пїЅ пїЅ

пїЅ пїЅ 2014 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved. пїЅ пїЅ

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пїЅ пїЅ 2014 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved. пїЅ пїЅ