What Does My ALL Symptoms, Remission and Relapse Look Like?

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a type of cancer that causes the bone marrow to produce too many lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell that fights infection). These diseased lymphocytes crowd out the healthy cells, which can lead to infection, anemia and easy bruising. ALL is more common in pediatric patients but also is diagnosed in adults.

A Few Key Points about ALL

The folllowing key points can help you better understand ALL as a blood cancer. 

• Leukemia affects the white blood cells and also the red blood cells and platelets.

• Previous chemotherapy and exposure to radiation may increase the chances of developing ALL.

• Symptoms can include: fever, fatigue, bleeding gums, night sweats.

• Certain factors, such as: sex, race, viruses and use of tobacco products can increase your chances of ALL.

• Adult, acute ALL progresses quickly if not treated immediately.

• There is no standard staging for adult ALL.

What Does Remission Look Like in ALL? 

The following criteria is an indication of remission in ALL: 

• A normal CBC (complete blood count).

• Less than 5% of bone marrow cells are blasts (cancerous cells).

• No signs of leukemia except in the bone marrow.

Explore our HealthTree ALL 101 pages to learn more.

Treatment For Relapsed (Returned) ALL

The goal of initial treatment for acute lymphocytic leukemia is remission. When cancer returns, the following could be potential treatment options:

• Combination chemotherapy (using more than one drug) followed by a stem cell transplant.

• Monoclonal antibody therapy (blinatumomab or inotuzumab ozogamicin) followed by a stem cell transplant.

• Low-dose radiation to relieve side effects and improve quality of life.

• Tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy with dasatinib for particular patients.

• Enrolling in a clinical trial: these trials may include, targeted therapy, CAR-T therapy, or new anticancer medications.

Explore ALL Clinical Trials here: HealthTree Clinical Trial Finder