Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Essay

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, known as ALL, is a type of cancer of the bone marrow and blood. This type of cancer develops quickly without treatment and does not have a precise cause. Signs and symptoms to look at for are: aches in the arms, legs or back, bruises for no exact reason, enlarged lymph nodes, fever without an obvious source or a lasting, low-grade fever, headaches, pale skin, pinhead-size red spots under the skin (called petechiae), prolonged bleeding from minor cuts, shortness of breath during normal physical activity, tiredness or no energy, vomiting, and unexplained weight loss. To diagnose ALL, a doctor or oncologist will take tests on your bone marrow. These tests will allow a doctor to find out how many ALL cells are in your marrow to determine the best possible treatment plan. The types of treatments the doctor’s uses are: chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation, Ph-positive ALL therapy, and clinical trials that involve …show more content…
The three types of treatments include induction therapy, postremission therapy, and intrathecal therapy. A positive that comes from it, is children respond better to the treatments that adults do. When some children reach remission some have long-term effects, such as fatigue, which can last for months or years, and even heart diseases. So it is very important that the children get a physical exam every year to prevent or reduce the effects. Physical effects include: fatigue, growth delays, thyroid dysfunction, hearing loss, and a secondary cancer. Cognitive effect areas maybe comprise of: mathematics, spatial relationships, problem solving, attention span, reading, spelling, information processing, planning and organizing, concentration skills, and fine motor coordination. This is helpful to know because often children who reach remission go back to school and need an educational plan to fit the child’s