Bone marrow is the tissue found inside the bones which are responsible for producing blood cells in the body. The blood cells produced in the body are of various types and have different responsibilities. These include:
- The red blood cells carry oxygen to various organs in the body
- The white blood cells which are responsible for protecting the body from infection
- The platelets which make blood clot
In children, the effects of leukemia can be seen in the form of abnormal growth of the white blood cells. The abnormal cells soon become more in number than the healthy white blood cells and hamper their function of preventing infections.
There are three different types of leukemia found in children: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, or chronic myelogenous leukemia. To determine the type of leukemia the child has, the doctor examines the blood and/or bone marrow to look for the type of white blood cells found.
The severity of the condition is then decided by the doctor by evaluating several factors such as the age of the child, the symptoms, the number of white blood cells found, and how quickly is cancer progressing into the body and to the spinal fluid.
Here are the various types of leukemia found in children discussed in detail.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
This is the most common type of leukemia found in children. Out of the total leukemia cases reported in children, 80% have acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In this type of leukemia, there is an abnormal production of immature white blood cells known as lymphoblasts in the bone marrow of the child. When the lymphoblasts grow in large numbers, they outnumber the healthy cells in the body and often cause bleeding, anemia, and put the child at a high risk of infections. There are two subtypes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia: B cell and T cell.
Acute myeloid leukemia
This type of leukemia in children starts from the blood and the bone marrow by developing immature blood cells called myeloblasts. These abnormal cells develop inside the bone marrow and grow up to become just like the mature red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. In this type of leukemia, the cancerous cells grow and divide rapidly, not leaving enough space for the healthy blood cells to grow. These abnormal cells also leave no space for the cells that form the platelets in the bone marrow. Out of the leukemia cases reported in children, 15 to 20% have this type of leukemia. There are 8 subtypes of this type which are classified based on the maturity and type of white blood cells.
Chronic myelogenous leukemia
This is a rare type of leukemia diagnosed in children with only 2% of cases reported. Mostly, when a child is diagnosed with this type of leukemia, he is found to be carrying an abnormal gene known as BCR-ABL in the cancer cells.
