How do you explain leukemia to a child?
When a child has leukemia, the bone marrow makes abnormal blood cells that don’t mature and don’t work the way they should. The abnormal cells are usually white blood cells (leukocytes). The abnormal cells reproduce very quickly. They build up in the bone marrow and crowd out healthy blood cells.
Can kids get AML leukemia?
Only about 500 children are found to have AML in the U.S. each year. (It is much more common in adults.) However, it is the most common second cancer among children treated for other cancers. The number of children with AML is about equal between boys and girls and between whites and African-Americans.
What type of leukemia is AML?
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. It is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults. This type of cancer usually gets worse quickly if it is not treated. AML is also called acute myelogenous leukemia and acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.
Is AML leukemia curable in children?
With acute leukemias (ALL or AML), children who are free of the disease after 5 years are very likely to have been cured, because it’s very rare for these cancers to return after this long. Knowing the type and subtype of leukemia is important in estimating a child’s outlook.
How do you explain leukemia?
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. In simple terms, cancer is defined as the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. Cancer can develop anywhere in the body. In leukemia, this rapid, out-of-control growth of abnormal cells takes place in the bone marrow of bones.
What leukemia means?
Leukemia is cancer of the body’s blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system. Many types of leukemia exist. Some forms of leukemia are more common in children. Other forms of leukemia occur mostly in adults. Leukemia usually involves the white blood cells.
Is AML common in kids?
AML is the second most common form of leukemia in children, after acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, most cases of AML occur in adults. Childhood AML is most common during the first 2 years of life and during the teenage years.
How is AML treated in children?
Two types of treatment commonly used to treat AML in children are chemotherapy and stem cell/bone marrow transplantation. Radiation therapy is used occasionally in specific situations. Sometimes, more than one treatment is used.
Why do children get AML leukemia?
Causes. The exact cause of AML is unknown. Research into possible causes of this disease is ongoing. Children with certain genetic disorders, such as Down’s syndrome or Li-Fraumeni syndrome, are known to have a higher risk of developing leukaemia.
How did you know your child had leukemia?
Some general common symptoms are: Feeling very tired and exhausted all of the time and/or noticeable skin paleness. Having lots of infections (such as ear, throat or chest) that don’t go away or keep coming back. Having flu-like symptoms that don’t go away (such as lethargy, high temperature, being sick)