Blood cells are produced from bone marrow of your body. Normally bone marrow produces fixed number of red blood and white blood cells. But due to defective gene mutation, bone marrow would start producing immature white blood cells (lymphoblast) in large number. These abnormal white blood cells will crowd up the healthy cells restricting the normal function. This would lead to acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of blood cancer.
Since the disease progress quickly creating more number of immature white blood cells, it is known as “acute” (rapidly). ALL is a common blood cancer that occurs in children but it can occur in adults also. Early intervention and quick treatment can give better results. If left untreated, death can occur in few months due to Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia(ALL).
Symptoms :
If a child has developed ALL, he/she may have symptoms like bleeding of gums, fever, sharp pain in the bones, bleeding of nose, swollen lymph nodes of neck, underarm and extreme tiredness. These are only common symptoms and the signs may differ from one individual to another. The skin of the affected person will become pale (due to reduced RBC) and sometimes they can feel breathless. Some of the symptoms given above may resemble flu but the signs would improve eventually if it is due to flu.
Causes :
ALL develops due to defective cell multiplication. Normally older cells would die once newer cells are formed. But in a person with ALL, abnormal blood cell production will be there giving rise to increased WBC count. The bone marrow starts producing immature white blood cells or lymphoblast that causes cancer. It is not clear why certain people develop defective DNA mutation and others are not.