What is adult acute lymphocytic leukemia?
Adult acute lymphocytic leukemia (also called acute lymphoblastic leukemia or ALL) is a disease in which too many infection-fighting white blood cells called lymphocytes are found in the blood and bone marrow. Lymphocytes are made by the bone marrow and by other organs of the lymph system. The bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside the large bones in the body. The bone marrow makes red blood cells (which carry oxygen and other materials to all tissues of the body), white blood cells (which fight infection), and platelets (which make the blood clot). Normally, the bone marrow makes cells called blasts that develop (mature) into several different types of blood cells that have specific jobs to do in the body. Lymphocytes are found in the lymph which is a colorless, watery fluid present in the lymph vessels. The lymph vessels are part of the lymph system which is made up of thin tubes that branch, like blood vessels, into all parts of the body. Along the network of vessels are groups of
