Jackson's Story A hero at age ten: Jackson's battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia |  |  |
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About 85 percent of all childhood leukemias are classified as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In this form of leukemia, a change -- or mutation -- in the DNA of an immature white blood cell, called a lymphoid cell, causes the cell to grow and multiply in an uncontrolled way. (Immature lymphoid cells originate in the bone marrow, thymus gland, or in the peripheral lymph nodes.) These uncontrolled cells infiltrate the body's organs and interfere with their function. The cells also interfere with the body's ability to produce other types of cells normally.
There are about 2,500 new cases of ALL diagnosed in children in the United States every year. ALL is slightly more common in males. Most ALL cases (89 percent) occur in Caucasian children. Peak age at diagnosis is between two and three years of age. No one is sure exactly what causes leukemia.
