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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffAcute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made.
The word "acute" in acute lymphocytic leukemia comes from the fact that the disease progresses rapidly and affects immature blood cells, rather than mature ones. The "lymphocytic" in acute lymphocytic leukemia refers to the white blood cells called lymphocytes, which ALL affects. Acute lymphocytic leukemia is also known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute childhood leukemia.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children, and treatments result in a good chance for a cure. Acute lymphocytic leukemia can also occur in adults, though the prognosis is not as optimistic.
- Rabin KR, et al. Clinical manifestations of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In: Hoffman R, et al. Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=aboutPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06715-0..X5001-8--TOP&isbn=978-0-443-06715-0&uniq=210978719. Accessed Aug. 16, 2010.
- Hoelzer D, et al. Acute lymphocytic leukemia in adults. In: Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2007:2191.
- Pieters R, et al. Biology and treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Hematology and Oncology Clinics of North America. 2010;24:1.
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=7049. Accessed Aug. 16, 2010.
- Integrative medicine and complementary and alternative therapies as part of blood cancer care. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/attachments/National/br_1150734030.pdf. Accessed Aug. 16, 2010.
- Faderl S, et al. Adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cancer. 2010;116:1165.
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