Leukemia in Preschoolers

Leukemia in Children

• A hematological malignancy or cancer of the blood that develops in the bone marrow.
• Most common childhood cancer, with two main types: Acute and Chronic.

Acute Leukemia

• Develops and worsens quickly (over days to weeks).
• Most common type of childhood leukemia.

Types of Acute Leukemia

• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
  • Most common form of childhood leukemia (75-80% of cases).
  • Affects lymphocytes, a type of White Blood Cells (WBC) that fights infection.
  • Bone marrow produces too many immature WBC that do not mature correctly.
• Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
  • Accounts for 20% of childhood leukemia cases.
  • Cancer of the blood where too many myeloblasts (immature WBC) are produced in the bone marrow.
  • Abnormal cells crowd out healthy blood cells and do not work properly to fight infection.
• Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL)
  • A specific type of AML.
  • Promyelocytes are produced and build up in the bone marrow.
  • Specific chromosome translocation (chromosome 15 and 17) prevents promyelocytes from maturing properly.

Chronic Leukemia

• Develops slowly, over months to years.
• Rare in children, but does occur.

Types of Chronic Leukemia

• Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
  • Rare in children, but does occur.
  • Too many immature WBC are produced, crowding out healthy blood cells.
  • Chromosome translocation (chromosome 9 and 22) leads to uncontrolled cell growth.
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
  • Extremely rare in children.
• Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML)
  • Rare, most commonly occurs in children under the age of four.
  • Myelomonocytic cells are overproduced and invade the spleen, lungs, and intestines.

Signs and Symptoms of Leukemia

• Continuous weight loss
• Headache, persistent nausea and vomiting with or without seizure
• Increased swelling or persistent pain in bones, joints, back or legs
• Lump or mass (swollen lymph nodes) – abdomen, neck, chest, armpits
• Development of rash, bleeding, bruises (including petechiae)
• Constant / recurrent infections
• Abdominal pain or fullness, which may cause shortness of breath or loss of appetite
• Noticeable paleness of skin
• Constant tiredness
• Eye or vision changes
• Recurrent or persistent fever

Causes of Leukemia

• Exact cause of most cases of childhood leukemia is not known.
• Most children with leukemia do not have any known risk factors.

Diagnosis of Leukemia

• Bone Marrow Aspiration and Biopsy to look for and collect leukemia cells.
• Immunophenotyping and Cytogenetic Analysis are performed on the cells to further determine the type of leukemia.