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Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) in Children
What is acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in children?
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the body's blood-making system. (It is also known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute lymphoid leukemia.) The word "acute" refers to the fact that the disease can progress quickly. "Lymphocytic" means that the cancer develops from lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.
Bone marrow, the soft inner part of bones, makes cells that circulate in the blood. They include white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. The two major types of white blood cells are myeloid cells and lymphoid cells. Lymphocytes populate lymph nodes, the spleen, the thymus and the gastrointestinal tract, where they provide immunity to aid in fighting infections.
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