Studies have shown that 75-80 percent of leukemia that affects infants are acute lymphocytic leukemia (Batlle & Clevers, 2017). It is usually prevalent among children between two to six years. The case is also more common amongst the boys than the girls. This type of cancer affects the bone marrow and blood. It usually originates from the sites where the WBC are manufactured then rapidly progress to the other parts of the bodies such as the brain. The bone marrow develops errors in its DNA and thus creates immature blood cells. The immature cells are called lymphoblasts and have defects that lead to improper functioning (Pui, 2011). On top of that, they build up and crowd the healthy cells leading to improper operation. Even though it is not clear on what causes the condition, Scientists are convinced that in most cases, it is not inherited.
The pathogenesis of acute lymphocytic leukemia involves the differentiation and abnormal proliferation of lymphoid cells. Research on the infant population indicates that ALL is related to various conditions such as Nijmegen breakdown syndrome, ataxia-telangiectasia, Bloom syndrome, and the down syndrome that predispose to a minority of the cases. Other predisposing factors include HIV Virus, Epstein-Barr Virus, certain solvents, pesticides, and exposure to ionizing radiation (Puram et al. 2016).
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The treatment of ALL usually takes place in various phases which include induction therapy, consolidation therapy, maintenance therapy, and preventive therapy. The treatment period is often two to three years. The chemotherapy puts in place different drugs depending on the severity of the condition. There is often the standard chemotherapy and intrathecal chemotherapy (Pollyea & Jordan, 2017). Other treatment options include bone marrow transplant and radiation therapy.
The treatment of the condition can be intense and stressful for the families. It is not easy for a parent to watch their infants suffer. It is imperative to counsel the parents and prepare them for the rigorous journey. The parents need to be educated about the conditions so that they can comfortably make decisions related to treatment (Döhner, Weisdorf & Bloomfield, 2015). These decisions include the administration of the drugs and making the right decisions whenever the emergency arises. As caregivers the parents must also be advised to remain strong despite the challenges that come their way as such overwhelming conditions can cause a breakdown.
References
Batlle, E., & Clevers, H. (2017). Cancer stem cells revisited. Nature medicine , 23 (10), 1124.
Döhner, H., Weisdorf, D. J., & Bloomfield, C. D. (2015). Acute myeloid leukemia. New England Journal of Medicine , 373 (12), 1136-1152.
Pollyea, D. A., & Jordan, C. T. (2017). Therapeutic targeting of acute myeloid leukemia stem cells. Blood , 129 (12), 1627-1635.
Pui, C. H. (2011). Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pp. 23-26). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Puram, R. V., Kowalczyk, M. S., de Boer, C. G., Schneider, R. K., Miller, P. G., McConkey, M., ... & Chen, M. C. (2016). Core circadian clock genes regulate leukemia stem cells in AML. Cell , 165 (2), 303-316.
