What is Childhood Leukemia?
Leukemia is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in children. More than 30% of all childhood cancers are leukemias. Leukemia is a type of cancer that forms in the bone marrow, the soft, spongy tissue inside the bones where blood cells are produced. The bone marrow contains immature, blood-forming stem cells that eventually develop into mature red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. In acute leukemia, malignant, immature white blood cells called “blasts” do not develop into a mature cell due to an abnormal genetic composition of that specific cell. These abnormal, immature cells do not function properly and can crowd out healthy blood cells, causing conditions like anemia (low red blood cells), leukopenia (low white blood cells), and thrombocytopenia (low platelets).
Leukemias are named after the specific type of immature blood cell affected, either lymphoid or myeloid cells. Leukemias are also named after the maturity of the affected blood cells. Acute leukemia cells are more immature than chronic leukemia cells, and also grow more aggressively. Almost all childhood leukemias are acute. Here are the most common types of childhood leukemia:
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of leukemia found in children. ALL accounts for about 75% of all leukemia diagnoses in children.
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is another type of leukemia that is commonly seen in children. AML accounts for about 20% of all leukemia diagnoses in children.
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
• Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is much more common in adults, but may also occur in children. CML accounts for about 3% of cases of pediatric leukemia.
Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML)
Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML) is a rare form of leukemia that occurs most often in infants and young children, under four years of age. JMML begins from myeloid cells, but is neither acute nor chronic. Some cases of JMML are seen in children with other genetic disorders such as neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), Noonan syndrome, cardio-facial-cutaneous (CFC) syndrome, and Cbl germline syndrome.
