The term blood cancer refers to leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells. These cells, which routinely help the body fight off infections, undergo changes that make them cancerous, growing unchecked and invading body tissues. At the same time, these cells lose their ability to effectively fight infections, leaving the body vulnerable to opportunistic micro-organisms that can severely weaken the child's immune system.
Types
According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, leukemia comes in four types, depending on how quickly the symptoms develop and the cell type involved: acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and acute and chronic myelogenous leukemia. Acute lymphocytic leukemia, or ALL, is the most common form of leukemia in children.
Symptoms
The symptoms of leukemia can be nonspecific, but they mostly stem from the infiltration of the bone marrow with abnormal leukemic cells. The bone marrow is the tissue inside bones that helps produce blood cells. When the leukemia cells infiltrate the bone marrow, they interfere with the production of the other two cell lines, red blood cells and platelets. This causes some of the most common symptoms of leukemia. The symptoms include anemia, caused by a decrease in the number of red blood cells, and abnormal bruising and easy bleeding because of a decrease in platelets. Other nonspecific symptoms include bone pain, fevers and swollen lymph nodes.
Diagnosis
A blood test called a complete blood count, or CBC, can reveal the deficiency of red blood cells and platelets. The total white blood cell count might be normal, elevated or low. These findings suggest the diagnosis of leukemia, but the definitive diagnostic test is a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. During this procedure, a large needle is sent into the bone's marrow space and its contents suctioned. This sample of bone marrow is sent to a pathologist that identifies if leukemia is present and what type it is.
Treatment
The treatment for leukemia is chemotherapy. According to the American Cancer Society, several stages or rounds of therapy are required. The first stage is called induction, which attempts to bring about remission of the disease. The goal of induction is to completely eliminate the cancerous cells. The second stage is consolidation, which attempts to get rid of leukemic cells from places where they could hide. The third stage is maintenance, which tries to prevent recurrence of the disease.
Considerations
Medical advances have made leukemia a curable illness. According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the five-year survival rate, a measure of long-term survival, for acute lymphocytic leukemia in children less than 5 years of age is more than 90 percent.
