Leukemia, Childhood

Leukemia is cancer of the white blood cells. It is the most common type of childhood cancer.

Your blood cells form in your bone marrow. White blood cells help your body fight infection. In leukemia, however, the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells. These cells crowd out the healthy blood cells, making it hard for blood to do its work. Leukemia can develop quickly or slowly. Acute leukemia is a fast growing type while chronic leukemia grows slowly. Children with leukemia usually have one of the acute types.

Risk factors for childhood leukemia include having a brother or sister with leukemia, having certain genetic disorders and having had radiation or chemotherapy. Treatment often cures childhood leukemia. Treatment options include chemotherapy, other drug therapy and radiation. In some case bone marrow and blood stem cell transplantation might help.

National Cancer Institute

External Resources

Protecting Our Health - Consumer-oriented summary of research on environmental toxins, with peer-reviewed summaries and abstracts of published studies. Covers specific disorders such as infertility, asthma, childhood leukemia, and other cancers.

Childhood Leukemia Center - This childhood leukemia resource center has been created especially for parents and others caring for a child with leukemia or other cancer. Resources, news, interviews and articles available online.

Childhood Leukemia: A Guide for Families, Friends, and Caregivers - The second edition of this comprehensive guide offers detailed and precise medical information for parents that includes day-to-day practical advice on how to cope with procedures, hospitalization, family and friends, school, and social, emotional, and financial issues. It features a wealth of tools for parents and contains significant updates on treatments and procedures.

Patient-Centered Guides: Childhood Leukemia Center - Gives summary information and access to a book for sale.

Beyond Discovery: Childhood Leukemia - Describes how basic research has resulted in therapeutic drugs for use in this disorder.

Medline: Childhood Leukemia Page - Provides a large amount of information on diagnosis, conditions and treatment. Also provides links to other related organizations.

Family Vlug-Guequierre - Blog of Rosa Vlug who was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood leukemia. In Dutch and English.

Cancer.gov: Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia - Resource of the U.S. National Cancer Institute which addresses this condition including diagnosis, staging, treatment and recurrence.

Pediatric Oncology Resource Center - Aggregation of childhood leukemia information and resources.

Childhood Leukemia - St Jude - Offers information on the history of leukemia, diagnosis, classification, signs and symptoms, treatment and medications.

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