ALL; Acute childhood leukemia; Cancer - acute childhood leukemia (ALL); Leukemia - acute childhood (ALL)

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) makes you more likely to bleed and develop infections. Symptoms include:

• Bone and joint pain
• Easy bruising and bleeding (such as bleeding gums, skin bleeding, nosebleeds, abnormal periods)
• Feeling weak or tired
• Fever
• Loss of appetite and weight loss
• Paleness
• Pain or feeling of fullness below the ribs
• Pinpoint red spots on the skin (petechiae)
• Swollen glands (lymphadenopathy) in the neck, under arms, and groin
• Night sweats

Note: These symptoms can occur with other conditions. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific symptoms.

A physical exam may reveal the following:

• Bruising
• Swollen liver, lymph nodes, and spleen
• Signs of bleeding (petechiae, purpura)

Blood tests may include:

• Complete blood count (CBC), including white blood cell (WBC) count
• Platelet count
• Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy
• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to check for leukemia cells in the spinal fluid

Tests are also done to look for chromosome changes in the cells of some leukemias. Leukemias with certain types of chromosome changes have a poor outlook, while those with other types of genes can have a very good outlook. This may determine what kind of treatment you receive.

Images

Auer rods

Bone marrow from hip

Bone marrow aspiration

Acute lymphocytic leukemia - photomicrograph

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Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) Overview

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Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) Treatment

Review Date: 02/28/2011
Reviewed By: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., and Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)