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Leukaemia is a type of blood cancer and the most common type of childhood cancer.

Leukaemia in children usually forms in the white blood cells found in the bone marrow and blood. White blood cells help fight infection.

What is leukaemia?

Leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. Your child’s body needs white blood cells to help fight infections.

There are two different types of white blood cell – lymphoid cells, also known as lymphocytes and myeloid cells. Normally these cells repair and reproduce in an orderly and controlled way. In Leukaemia, however, the process of cell reproduction gets out of control and the cells continue to divide but do not mature.

There are different types of childhood leukaemia, named ‘acute’ if they are fast growing or ‘chronic’ if they are slow growing. There are many different types of leukaemia which affect children and young people including:

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is an overproduction of immature lymphoid cells, called lymphoblasts. ALL is the only form of leukaemia that is more common in children than in adults.

Sophia was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when she was just two years old. Watch the video to find out more about Sophia, including her battle with the side effects of treatment.

Learn about leg pain in children cancer through Benji’s story and how he was diagnosed with ALL at the age of 3.

Learn more about acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

 

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Acute myeloid leukaemia

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is an overproduction of immature myeloid cells, called myeloblasts. Around 76 of new cases of childhood AML are diagnosed every year in the UK, which accounts for 15% of children’s leukaemia cancer cases.

We need to find new treatments for acute myeloid leukaemia, particularly for children whose disease comes back.

Dr Rogosic.

We’re funding Dr Rogosic to develop a new treatment for AML which could give these children a better chance of survival from this aggressive form of cancer.

Learn about acute myeloid leukaemia

Chronic myeloid leukaemia

Most childhood leukaemias are ‘acute’ meaning that they develop and progress rapidly. CML is a chronic leukaemia – meaning it develops slowly, often over many years. CML is rare in children, with around 5 cases per year in the UK. In addition, there are around 28 cases in teenagers and young adults each year.

Andy was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia at the age of 18.

This came as an enormous shock to me and the family. We had only just come to terms with the news that my Mum had terminal bowel cancer and I was just a week away from going to university.

Andy.

Read about chronic myeloid leukaemia

Symptoms of leukaemia

What are the most common signs and symptoms of leukaemia?

Childhood leukaemia develops quickly. It’s possible for some or all of the symptoms of leukaemia in children to be apparent. These are the ones to look out for:

  • Paleness
  • Anaemia
  • Tiredness
  • Unusual bleeding
  • Unusual bruising
  • Frequent and persistent infections
  • Breathlessness and coughing

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Can leukaemia come back?

The likelihood of a relapse progressively decreases with time, particularly once maintenance treatment is completed.

What are the the survival rates of leukaemia? How effective are the treatments

Leukaemia has one of the highest survival rates of cancers affecting children. 

Until the 1960s childhood leukaemia was incurable. Today, thanks to improvements in care and sustained investment in research, the outlook for young patients diagnosed with leukaemia has dramatically improved.

What to expect

A diagnosis of childhood leukaemia is usually made on the basis of a blood test. This test will reveal low numbers of normal white blood cells and large numbers of abnormal white blood cells.

Once this has happened and the doctors have the results, you will be referred to hospital for further tests. A sample of bone marrow will be taken to confirm the exact diagnosis a lumber puncture may well be taken at the same time. 

The mainstay of treatment is chemotherapy. During chemotherapy a combination of chemotherapy drugs and steroid medicines are given in several stages or blocks of treatment.

As well as chemotherapy, some children with high risk disease may also need a bone marrow transplant, or stem cell transplant.

A diagnosis of childhood leukaemia is usually made on the basis of a blood test. This test will reveal low numbers of normal white blood cells and large numbers of abnormal white blood cells.

Once this has happened and the doctors have the results, you will be referred to hospital for further tests. A sample of bone marrow will be taken to confirm the exact diagnosis a lumber puncture may well be taken at the same time. 

The mainstay of treatment is chemotherapy. During chemotherapy a combination of chemotherapy drugs and steroid medicines are given in several stages or blocks of treatment.

As well as chemotherapy, some children with high risk disease may also need a bone marrow transplant, or stem cell transplant.

What is happening in the body and are there any side effects?

The treatments used in childhood leukaemia often causes side effects. Most side effects are temporary and can be minimised with good supportive care, however some side effects of treatment can persist with long-term impact. The most common short term effects include:

  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Hair loss
  • Reduced resistance to infection
  • Bruising and bleeding
  • Tiredness
  • Gut and nutritional issues 

A number of children may develop persistent side effects as a result of treatment, sometimes many years later, these are known as late effects. These can include 

  • a reduction in normal bone growth 
  • reduced fertility 
  • a change in heart function 
  • a small increase in the risk of developing a second cancer later in life

More information about leukaemia

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Lois was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia when she was nine year’s old in June 2019. Her mum Juliette shares their story.

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Find out more about Professor Julie Irving’s research project, which looks at how existing drugs could be used to help children who have relapsed or are at high risk of relapsing from ALL.

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Read Frankie's story

Frankie was diagnosed with Juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia in 2016 when he was just one. His mum Jazzmyn tells their story so far.

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