Who Gets Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia?
Statistics About ALL in Children ALL is a leukemia occurring mostly in children under age four, although older children and adults can also be affected; Caucasian boys are most likely to develop ALL. ALL accounts for 23 percent of cancers in those under age 15, the National Cancer Institute states. Around 1 in 29,000 children develop ALL. Children between ages three and seven do best; those under two do less well. Causes of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in Children ALL is a disease of the lymphocytes, white blood cells that fight off infection; immature lymphocytes start rapidly multiplying, crowding out the normal reproduction of normal blood cells such as red blood cells, platelets and mature white blood cells that fight infection. The abnormal cells are carried through the bloodstream to major organs and the brain, where they multiply. The causes of ALL are unknown, but the disease is more common in those with Down Syndrome and who were exposed to radiation prenatally. Symptoms and Dia
