Posted by NHS Choices on February 15, 2017 · Leave a Comment
Dr Victoria Grandage, Consultant Hematologist at the Children and Young People’s Cancer Service at University College London, describes the signs and symptoms of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, also known as A.L.L. She and the mother of a young former patient, Josh, talk about the treatment and experience of ALL; a cancer that, thankfully, has a high cure rate in children. Click on the picture below to go to the NHS YouTube channel to watch the video.
Editor’s Note: Video Highlights
- Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia or ALL is a form of cancer of the blood
- For reasons we do not yet fully understand, immature cells in the bone marrow – lymphocytes or lymphoblasts – rapidly build up and crowd out the normal bone marrow cells
- Some of the symptoms of ALL include:
- Anemia: tiredness, shortness of breath, lethargy
- Infections, high fevers, maybe mouth ulcers
- Bleeding, bruising and rashes
- Enlargement of some lymph nodes around the neck or in the groin
- Enlargement of the liver and spleen
- Bone pain (a prominent symptom)
“When Josh was about two and a half, he went back to crawling rather than walking. He’d say his legs were too sore to walk and he’d crawl around for the first half hour or so (after getting up) and then start walking after that.” Josh’s Mom, Angela
Initial treatment, before a diagnosis has been confirmed, is supportive to address the above symptoms and can include fluids for hydration, antibiotics, and possibly a blood transfusion- Treatment of the leukemia itself involves chemotherapy, a broad term for many different drugs that may be given in tablet form, as injections, or directly into the blood stream as IV infusions
- Some ALL chemotherapy drugs are also given via a lumbar puncture
- Side effects of the chemotherapy include nausea, tiredness, and hair loss
- Treatment begins with acute therapy – for Josh this lasted 9 months – and is followed by maintenance treatment for a couple of years
- Josh’s total treatment lasted three years
- The majority of children with ALL go into remission – and 75%-80% of those are cured
- Further intensified treatment, including a stem cell transplant, may be required for children who do not go into remission
