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Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Dec 2, 2024.

What is acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)?

ALL is cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. The bone marrow makes white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), and platelets. WBCs help fight infection. RBCs help carry oxygen throughout the body. Platelets help the blood clot. ALL causes your body to make too many immature (young) white blood cells (WBC). These cells are cancer (leukemia) cells, and cannot fight infection like healthy WBCs. Cancer cells crowd the bone marrow and prevent it from making healthy blood cells. Without enough healthy blood cells, you are at risk for infection, bleeding, and anemia. Anemia is a low level of red blood cells.

What causes ALL?

The exact cause of ALL is not known. The following may increase your risk for ALL:

What are the signs and symptoms of ALL?

How is ALL diagnosed?

How is ALL treated?

Treatment may depend on the results of testing. You will get treatment in 2 phases. In the first phase, healthcare providers will give you treatments to make your ALL go into remission. This phase can sometimes take several years. Remission means there are no longer any signs of leukemia. After you are in remission, you will get postremission treatment. The goal of this phase is to kill any hidden leukemia cells and help you stay in remission. The following treatments may be given in either stage:

Treatment options

The following list of medications are related to or used in the treatment of this condition.

View more treatment options

What can I do to manage my ALL?

Further information

Call 911 or have someone else call for any of the following:

When should I seek immediate care?

When should I contact my healthcare provider?

Care Agreement

You have the right to help plan your care. Learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. Discuss treatment options with your healthcare providers to decide what care you want to receive. You always have the right to refuse treatment. The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

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Learn more about Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia

Treatment options

Symptoms and treatments

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