A Cancer of the Blood:
Childhood leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children.
Leukemia is a blood cancer that begins in the bone marrow (the spongy core of the bone) and causes many abnormal early-stage white blood cells to be made. These abnormal white blood cells, or leukemia cells, are unable to carry out their normal job of protecting the body from infection. They will continue to multiply, crowd the marrow and overflow into the bloodstream.
Eventually, these leukemia cells will crowd the bone marrow so much that they begin to interfere with the normal production of other blood cells, such as oxygen-carrying red blood cells and clot-forming platelets.
Types of Childhood Leukemia:
About 70% to 80% of childhood leukemias are acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL); the next most prevalent type is acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). "Acute" forms of leukemia develop and progress very quickly.
Rarely, children can be diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). This type of leukemia develops more slowly, over the period of months or years. A specific chromosome abnormality -- the Philadelphia chromosome -- is present in children with CML.
Sources
American Cancer Society. What are the key statistics for childhood leukemia? http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/LeukemiainChildren/DetailedGuide/childhood-leukemia-key-statistics Accessed September 22, 2010.
Rostad, M., Moore, K. (1997). “Childhood Cancers” in Varricchio, C. (ed) A Cancer Source Book for Nurses. Jones and Bartlett: Sudbury, MA.
