Jornal de Hematologia e Doenças Tromboembólicas
Acesso livre

Abstrato

Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)

Namarata Pal

Leukaemia as we know is a malignant cancer of the bone marrow and blood which is characterized by an uncontrolled accumulation of abnormal blood cells which leads to the inhibition of normal blood cells functions and many times death. It causes more deaths than any other form cancer among children around the age of twenty [1]. Acute lymphoblastic is a cancer of white blood cells which fight against infection characterized by the excessive multiplication of malignant and immature WBC (lymphoblast) in bone marrow. This cancer can be treated by chemotherapy, steroids, radiation therapy and intensive combined treatments including bone marrow or stem cell transplants. The drugs which are commonly used for this cancer are prednisolone, dexamethasone, vincristine, L-asparaginase, daunorubicin, cyclophosphamide,cytarabine, etoposide, thioguanine, mercaptopurine, hydrocortisone, etc. There are variety of drugs available today but their efficacy in treatment of cancer at third and fourth stage is doubtful. But scientist believe that treating the patient suffering with this type of cancer should be treated with this enzyme L- asparaginase and not by chemotherapy because the enzyme is more safer to use .