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Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatment (PDQ®) - General Information About Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell).

Adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL; also called acute lymphocytic leukemia) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. This type of cancer usually gets worse quickly if it is not treated.

Normally, the bone marrow makes blood stem cells (immature cells) that develop into mature blood cells over time. A blood stem cell may become a myeloid stem cell or a lymphoid stem cell.

The myeloid stem cell develops into one of three types of mature blood cells:

Red blood cells that carry oxygen and other materials to all tissues of the body.
Platelets that help prevent bleeding by causing blood clots to form.
Granulocytes (white blood cells) that fight infection and disease.

The lymphoid stem cell develops into a lymphoblast cell and then into one of three types of lymphocytes (white blood cells):

B lymphocytes that make antibodies to help fight infection.
T lymphocytes that help B lymphocytes make the antibodies that help fight infection.
Natural killer cells that attack cancer cells and viruses.

Blood cell development. A blood stem cell goes through several steps to become a red blood cell, platelet, or white blood cell.

In ALL, too many stem cells develop into lymphoblasts or lymphocytes. These cells may also be called leukemic cells. These leukemic cells are not able to fight infection very well. Also, as the number of leukemic cells increases in the blood and bone marrow, there is less room for healthy white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. This may cause infection, anemia, and easy bleeding. The cancer can also spread to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).

This summary is about adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia. See the following PDQ summaries for information on other types of leukemia:

Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatment.
Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment.
Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia/Other Myeloid Malignancies Treatment.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treatment.
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Treatment.
Hairy Cell Leukemia Treatment.

Previous chemotherapy and exposure to radiation may increase the risk of developing ALL.

Anything that increases your risk of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get cancer; not having risk factors doesn’t mean that you will not get cancer. People who think they may be at risk should discuss this with their doctor. Possible risk factors for ALL include the following:

Being male.
Being white.
Being older than 70.
Past treatment with chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Exposure to atomic bomb radiation.
Having a certain genetic disorder such as Down syndrome.

Possible signs of adult ALL include fever, feeling tired, and easy bruising or bleeding.

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WebMD Public Information from the National Cancer Institute

This information is produced and provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The information in this topic may have changed since it was written. For the most current information, contact the National Cancer Institute via the Internet web site at http://cancer.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER

Last Updated: August 01, 2008

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