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Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) - Symptom

Alternative Names

ALL; Acute childhood leukemia; Cancer - acute childhood leukemia (ALL); Leukemia - acute childhood (ALL)

Symptoms:

Bleeding gums
Bone pain or tenderness
Easy bruising
Excessive or prolonged bleeding
Fatigue
Fever
Joint pain
Infection
Menstrual irregularities
Nosebleeds
Paleness
Palpitations
Pinpoint red spots on the skin
Shortness of breath (made worse by exercise)
Swollen glands (lymphadenopathy)
Swollen gums
Unintentional weight loss

Signs and tests:

A physical exam may reveal the following:

Bruising
Enlarged liver and spleen
Signs of bleeding (petechiae, purpura)

Blood tests may show the following:

A bone marrow aspiration may be show abnormal levels of certain cells.

ALL may also change the results of the following tests:

If you are diagnosed with ALL, genetic tests will be done to determine the specific type of ALL. Doctors can look for chromosome changes in the cells of some leukemias. Leukemias with certain types of chromosome changes have a poor outlook, while those with other types of genes can have a very good outlook.

Bone marrow aspiration

Acute lymphocytic leukemia - photomicrograph

Auer rods

Bone marrow from hip

Immune system structures

Reviewed last on: 6/10/2008
James R. Mason, MD, Oncologist, Director, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program and Stem Cell Processing Lab, Scripps Clinic, Torrey Pines, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures 2007. Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society; 2007.

National Cancer Institute. Adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment (PDQ). 2008. Accessed June 10, 2008.

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