Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is common among children aged two to nine years. It is a malignant disorder that originates from the bone marrow with a characteristic formation of undeveloped white blood cells (Gore, 2014). Factors associated with leukemia include alterations in the chromosomes. An example is a genetic disorder, Trisomy 21 which increases the probability of a child developing leukemia by a factor of more than ten. Instability in the chromosome, such as bloom syndrome is also known to cause ALL. Genetics also plays a role in the development of leukemia. The risk of suffering from leukemia has been established to be higher between monozygous twins and children who have siblings suffering from the condition. Hereditary disorder such as Ataxia-telangiectasia has also been associated with leukemia in children. Deficiencies in the immune system linked to leukemia include the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome. Lastly, leukemia can be acquired through organ transplants from a leukemia patient or through plastic anemia (McCance, & Huether, 2010, p. 443).
Prognosis of leukemia
The rate at which children diagnosed with leukemia are being cured is beyond 80% of the diagnosed cases. In 1969, the mortality rate from leukemia diagnosis stood at 6.5% but dropped to 2.2 percent by 2008. Improvements are attributed to more research, increased participation in clinical trials, and the use of combination therapies along with multimodal treatment. In the past decades, the high mortality rate was a factor of cancer and its side effects. Current improvements in nursing ensure proper care and management of associated side effects that may cause major complications. The introduction of prolonged follow-ups after diagnosis has also been efficient in children who have higher chances to develop sequelae after cancer therapies (McCance, & Huether, 2010, p. 445).
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References
Gore, J. M. (2014). Acute leukemias. Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants , 27 (5), 47-48. doi:10.1097/01.jaa.0000446221.55059.49
McCance, K. L., & Huether, S. E. (2010). Cancer in children. In Pathophysiology: The biologic basis for disease in adults and children (7th ed., pp. 442-447). St. Louis: Mosby.
