acute lymphocytic leukemia…

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bone marrow aspiration, acute lymphocytic leukemia, photomicrograph, auer rods, bone marrow from hip, immune system structures, acute childhood leukemia, cancer, acute childhood leukemia, leukemia, acute childhood, acute lymphocytic leukemia, progressive, malignant disease characterized by large numbers of immature white blood cells that resemble lymphoblasts, cells, found, in the blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, organs, acute lymphocytic leukemia, all) accounts, 80%, the acute leukemias of childhood, most cases occurring between ages 3, all also occurs in adults, where it accounts, 20% of all adult leukemias, in acute leukemia, malignant, cancerous, cell, loses its ability to mature, specialize, differentiate, its function, cells multiply rapidly, replace the normal cells, bone marrow failure occurs, malignant cells replace normal bone marrow elements, person becomes susceptible to bleeding, infection, the normal blood cells, reduced in number, most cases, have no apparent cause, radiation, toxins benzene, chemotherapy agents, thought to contribute to brining on leukemia, abnormalities in chromosomes, play a role, in the development of acute leukemia, risk factors, acute leukemia include down syndrome, a sibling, leukemia, exposure to radiation, chemicals, drugs, disease strikes 6 out of every 100,000 people, prolonged, excessive bleeding, bruising, bleeding gums, nosebleeds, bleeding, skin, menstrual irregularities, skin rash, lesion, pinpoint red spots, petechiae, bruises, ecchymoses, paleness, fatigue, infection, sternal tenderness, bone pain, tenderness, breastbone, sternum, joint pain, hip pain, knee pain, ankle pain, foot pain over small joints, the foot, shoulder pain, elbow pain, wrist pain, hand pain over small joints, the hand, lymphadenopathy, enlarged glands, unintentional weight loss, fever, swollen gums, shortness of breath, made worse by exercise, sensations of feeling the heart beat, palpitations, an irregular pattern, a physical exam, lab tests, reveal the following, enlarged liver, spleen, bruising, ecchymosis, evidence of bleeding, petechiae, purpura, abnormal wbc count, a cbc shows anemia, low platelet count, a bone marrow aspiration shows an increased number of cells, hypercellularity, an increase in lymphoblasts, tests, t, thymus derived, lymphocyte count, cell surface antigen studies, b-cell, leukemia/lymphoma panel, white blood cell differential, classification of all now depends on a number of sophisticated tests, immunophenotyping, karyotyping, terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase, tdt, combined results of these tests allows pinpoint molecular diagnosis, helps guide the treatment decisions, clarify the likely prognosis, instance, cells of some leukemias contain chromosomal abnormalities, the philadelphia chromosome, the t(4), translocation would tend to have a poor prognosis, intensive treatment, an early bone marrow transplant might be recommended, genes, tel/aml1 rearrangement, indicate a very favorable prognosis, goal of treatment is remission, the cancer, a remission is achieved, the peripheral blood counts, bone marrow, acute lymphocytic leukemia is treated, of anti-cancer drugs, chemotherapy, a hospitalization of 3 to 6 weeks necessary, initial, induction, chemotherapy, subsequent chemotherapy sessions given on an outpatient basis, additionally, isolated lymphocyte count is very low, prevent catching an infection, chemotherapy typically consists of a combination, of 3 to 8 medications, prednisone, vincristine, methotrexate, 6-mercaptopurine, cyclophosphamide, necessary to administer blood products, packed red blood cells, platelets, to treat the anemia, low platelet count, antibiotic therapy required to treat any secondary infections that develop, after remission is achieved, chemotherapy, radiation therapy given, in the spinal column to treat any leukemia cells, have invaded the spinal fluid, subsequent therapy is meant, prevent relapse, consists of additional chemotherapy given intermittently, in the hospital, an outpatient, last up to one year, a bone marrow transplant after high-dose chemotherapy a treatment option, cases that relapse, not respond to other treatments, stress of illness, helped by joining a support group where members share common experiences, cancer, support group, leukemia, support group, probable outcome, children is better than, adults, an 80% cure rate, eighty percent of adults achieve complete remission, 30% to 50% cured, life expectancy, 3 months, dic, disseminated intravascular coagulation, relapse of, severe infection, symptoms suggestive of all develop, persistent fever, signs of infection occur, the cause of most cases, prevention of most cases is not possible, minimizing exposure to toxins, radiation, chemicals, reduce risk.