Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Lymphoblastic Leukemia General Information

Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a fast-evolving type of leukemia (cancer of the white blood cells). Normally, the white blood cells (lymphocytes) are a type of blood cells that are naturally produced in the organism and are used in fighting infections. This medical condition causes an overproduction of immature, malignant cells called blasts, which would normally develop and become lymphocytes. These cells do not develop and are unable to fight infections. They are produced rapidly and crowd out the other blood cell types, including red blood cells, platelets and regular white blood cells, causing damage and possibly the death of the affected patient. Metastasizing of other internal organs is also possible and has been observed in affected patients.

Lymphoblastic Leukemia is more commonly encountered in children and young adults. The disease has two incidence peaks, one at around 4-5 years of age and the other in old age. With the treatment options provided by modern medicine, the cure rate is currently as high as 85% in children and in adults affected by this medical condition there are 50% chances that the patient will have disease-free long term survival. However, untreated cases may result in death within a few months or even weeks. As such, it is imperative to consult your personal health care provider as soon as you experience any signs and symptoms that may be caused by this medical condition.

Lymphoblastic Leukemia Symptoms

The Lymphoblastic Leukemia symptoms may vary from one case to another, and they generally depend on the number of normal blood cells that the patient has as well as on the number of malignant leukemia cells and where in the organism they collect. In the case of low red blood cell numbers, the patient may experience anemia, manifested through signs and symptoms such as tiredness, weakness, shortness of breath and developing a pale complexion. In the case of reduced white blood cell numbers, fever and infections may occur often and they may become increasingly difficult to treat. Patients that present a low platelet count may experience symptoms related to prolonged bleeding, easy bleeding or bruising  and may develop petechiae (small red spots located under the patient’s skin). In patients that have high leukemia cell counts, joint or bone pain is common, along with a decrease in the appetite. Headaches may also occur, along with nausea and vomiting.

Typically, the diagnosis for Lymphoblastic Leukemia is placed following testing of the patient’s blood and bone marrow. Patients that are affected by this disease will reveal large numbers of leukemia cells. By observing the size and number of the cells, as well as the type of affected white cells and the changes in the leukemia cells’ chromosomes the specialized health care professionals will be able to find out the type of Lymphoblastic Leukemia and how the disease will respond to treatment.

Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatment

Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a disease that may have a very fast evolution rate. As such, it is imperative that treatment is begun as soon as possible in order to ensure higher recovery chances. When deciding upon the treatment course that the patient will need to undergo, the examining health care professional will take into account several factors, such as the patient’s age, medical history and general health condition, as well as the type of the disease and the disease traits.

Three types of therapy are available for patients suffering from Lymphoblastic Leukemia. The first option is chemotherapy, involving the use of drugs in order to destroy the malignant cells and hinder their replication. This type of therapy is involved in the treatment of all patients diagnosed with this affection. The second therapy option is radiation therapy, although in most cases treatment does not involve this type of therapy. Most commonly, radiation therapy is employed in the case of children who present signs of the disease affecting the central nervous system, or who have a high risk of the disease affecting the brain and / or spinal cord. The third Lymphoblastic Leukemia therapy option refers to the possibility of a cord blood or bone marrow transplant, and it offers the best chances of successfully treating the disease. However, due to the high risks involved in such operations, this option is only used in patients that have very low chances of reaching long-term remission of the disease by undergoing chemotherapy treatment alone.

As stated above, chemotherapy is the main treatment option for most patients suffering from Lymphoblastic Leukemia. There are three stages of this type of therapy which the patients must undergo, the induction, the consolidation and the maintenance. In many cases, intrathecal chemotherapy is also employed in order to prevent the disease from affecting the patient’s central nervous system.

Induction chemotherapy aims to cause the disease to enter a remission phase, allowing the patient’s blood counts to normalize again. This phase has a success rate of about 95% in children, while in adult patients the success rate is of 75-89%. This part of the therapy is very intense and typically lasts for one month. Depending on the patient’s treatment plan, it is followed by consolidation chemotherapy or by transplant.

Consolidation chemotherapy is also intense, and may last for up to eight months. This phase of the therapy aims to reduce the leukemia cell numbers left in the patient’s organism. The exact treatment plan and the drugs employed in this phase of chemotherapy vary depending on the particularities of the case.

Maintenance therapy is the third phase of chemotherapy, which occurs if the induction and consolidation phases end and the patient remains in the remission stage. This part of the treatment is less intense than the other phases, and may last for up to three years. The goal of this part of the treatment is to completely destroy the remaining leukemia cells.

Intrathecal chemotherapy is an additional medication therapy course which is administered to patients suffering from Lymphoblastic Leukemia during all three phases of the regular chemotherapy treatment. It is employed in order to prevent the disease from affecting the patient’s central nervous system. The medication is typically injected directly into the patient’s spinal fluid through a spinal tap or an Omaya reservoir.