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Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology

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Synonyms

ALL

Definition

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a form of cancer of the white blood cells (leukocytes). ALL is the most common type of childhood leukemia and is distinguished from chronic lymphoblastic leukemia (CLL) and acute myeloid (or myelogenous) leukemia, which are more prevalent in adults.

Current Knowledge

Symptoms

ALL is characterized by the rapid proliferation of immature blood cells (lymphoblasts), which crowd out mature, functional cells. It is associated with the enlargement of lymphoid tissue in areas including the lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, and lungs and with increased lymphocytic cells circulating in blood and in various tissues and organs. Persons afflicted will experience weakness and fatigue, anemia, unexplained fever and infections, weight loss, or loss of appetite.

Pathophysiology

Cancer, including ALL, is caused by damage to DNA.

Treatment

The earlier the ALL is detected, the more effective is its treatment. The goal is to induce a lasting...

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References and Readings

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, CSH 021, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th Street and Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA, 19104-4399, USA

    Jacqueline L. Cunningham

  2. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 3535 Market Street, Ste. 1409-1410, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Carol Armstrong

Authors
  1. Jacqueline L. Cunningham
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  2. Carol Armstrong
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jacqueline L. Cunningham .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Richmond, Virgin Islands, USA

    Jeffrey Kreutzer

  2. Kessler Foundation , West Orange, New Jersey, USA

    John DeLuca

  3. Suite 200 , Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, USA

    Bruce Caplan

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Cunningham, J.L., Armstrong, C. (2017). Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In: Kreutzer, J., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_85-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_85-3

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-56782-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-56782-2

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