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” are produced in excess in the bone marrow. 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).