Childhood Leukemia Causes,Types,Blast Cell

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CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA

Dr Ira Shah
M.D, DCH(Gold Medalist), FCPS, DNB
Edited by Dr. Bharat R Agarwal
Consultant Pediatric Hematologist and Oncologist.

Q. What is childhood leukemia?

A. Leukemia is cancer of the blood cells. There are various types of leukemia in children. The most common are: -

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (75% of all leukemias)
Acute Myelogenous leukemia (20% of all leukemias)
Chronic myelogenous leukemia (it is the least common, 5% of all leukemias)

However, cancer in children & adolescents is rare.

Q. What is a blast cell?

A. Blast is a short name for lymphoblasts. There are normal blasts which comprise less than 5% of the cells made by the bone marrow which grow to form mature white blood cells. Leukemic blasts are abnormal because they remain immature and do not function like mature white blood cells.

Q. What happens in leukemia?

A. As the leukemic blast cells accumulate in the bone marrow, they begin to crowd out the normal blood cells that develop there so that RBCs, platelets and normal WBCs cannot be produced causing anemia, bleeding and infections. There may be extramedullary disease in form of lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, joint & bone pains (leukemic infiltrate of joint & bones).

Q. What are the causes of leukemia?

A. The cause of disorganized cellular proliferation still remains unknown. However, few environmental and genetic factors have been implicated.

The incidence of leukemia is high in patients with:

Bloom's syndrome
Fanconi's anemia
Down's syndrome
Klinefelter's syndrome
Wiskott - Aldrich syndrome
Ataxia-Telangiectasia etc.

Environmental factors believed to be linked with leukogenesis include:

Exposure to radiation
Benzene, pesticides and herbicides
Chemotherapeutic agents
Infectious - Ebstein Barr virus (ALL-L3, Burkitt's lymphoma)
HTLV I & II (Hairy cell leukemia)
HIV (Non Hodgkin's lymphoma)
See Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

See Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Last created on 13-07-2001
Last updated on 01-07-2006

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