Mataracy
VIP Contributor
Acute leukaemia is commonest in children but can occur at any age. The onset is usually sudden with fever,pallor and purpura.
There may be bleeding from the nose or from the mouth and general symptoms of severe anaemia with fatigue and loss of strength. When the blood is examined under the microscope,the total white count is usually vastly increased and the cells are immature and abnormal.
The treatment of acute leukaemia has become more successful but more complex, so that children with leukaemia are beat treated in special units expert in the latest forms of treatment and the complications arising from them.
The aim of treatment is to use drugs which destroy all abnormal cells in the blood and bone marrow, without providing too toxic to healthy tissues and cells. In acute lymphatic leukaemia this can be achieved in the majority of cases by using intravenous injections of vincristinevwith prednisone tableta taken by mouth.
Further courses of cytotoxic drugs such as methotrexate or cyclophospamide are then given,sometimea with the additional use of radiotherapy. This treatment has greatly improved the outlook in acute lymphatic leukaemia;many patients are still healthy more than 10yeaes after the start of the illness and there is hope of achieving a complete cure. The outlook is less favourable for acute myeloid or acute monocytic leukaemial.
There may be bleeding from the nose or from the mouth and general symptoms of severe anaemia with fatigue and loss of strength. When the blood is examined under the microscope,the total white count is usually vastly increased and the cells are immature and abnormal.
The treatment of acute leukaemia has become more successful but more complex, so that children with leukaemia are beat treated in special units expert in the latest forms of treatment and the complications arising from them.
The aim of treatment is to use drugs which destroy all abnormal cells in the blood and bone marrow, without providing too toxic to healthy tissues and cells. In acute lymphatic leukaemia this can be achieved in the majority of cases by using intravenous injections of vincristinevwith prednisone tableta taken by mouth.
Further courses of cytotoxic drugs such as methotrexate or cyclophospamide are then given,sometimea with the additional use of radiotherapy. This treatment has greatly improved the outlook in acute lymphatic leukaemia;many patients are still healthy more than 10yeaes after the start of the illness and there is hope of achieving a complete cure. The outlook is less favourable for acute myeloid or acute monocytic leukaemial.