CHILDHOOD LEUKAEMIA: UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES, PREVALENCE AND TREATMENT OF THE DISEASE

Childhood leukaemia, a rare disease among children, alters the DNA of white blood cells which leads to cells growing expeditiously in the body.

Understanding the Basics:

It is the most prevalent category of paediatric cancer that originates from the bone marrow, a spongy material placed in centre of the bones responsible for engendering various blood cells. Most incidences of childhood leukaemia have an acute presentation, designating that patients show small history of consequential clinical symptoms unlike the chronic leukaemia in adults, which are mostly discovered incidentally during blood investigations.

Decoding Complexities:

Accounting for 75-80% of all childhood leukaemia cases, the most common sub-category of childhood blood cancer is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), caused by alteration in the DNA of lymphoid stem cells. However, high cure rates are also associated with the disease. While the treatment is long and demanding in all aspects, approximately 80 – 90% of children diagnosed with ALL will be able to obtain long-term remedy. However, this is attainable only if it is diagnosed early and treated as per standard contemporary treatment protocols. This is followed by the next most common category of paediatric leukaemia, Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). Also known as Myeloid Leukaemia, this sub-category accounts for 1520% of childhood leukaemia cases.

Prevalent Factors behind the Disease