What is ALL?

• ALL is the most common cancer of childhood • Must be distinguished from AML because of differing responses to chemotherapy • 90% have numerical or structural chromosomal changes (hyperploidy) • 85% 0f B-ALLs childhood acute leukemias • T-ALLs less common, present as thymic lymphomas in adolescent males (lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly) • Abrupt stormy onset, Symptoms related to bone marrow suppression, CNS manifestations