What Is ALL?

In May 2013, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. The ins and outs of it can be hard to understand, and equally as hard to explain to other people, so I thought I'd explain exactly what it is, as simply as I can... 

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) is a cancer of the white blood cells. Here, the term "acute" means that the condition progresses rapidly and aggressively and requires immediate treatment.

ALL is caused by a DNA mutation in the stem cells, causing too many white blood cells to be produced. The bonemarrow (where blood is made) releases these white blood cells before they have been allowed to develop properly, making them "faulty".

As the number of faulty cells increases, the number of healthy blood cells and platelets fall, which cause many of the symptoms of leukaemia, such as fatigue, weakness, bleeding and bruising.

Because leukaemia is cancer of the blood, it is not localised to a specific area of the body. This means that treatment can differ greatly from other forms of cancer which form solid, localised tumours.

Around 650 people a year are diagnosed with ALL in the UK, making it an uncommon cancer. Despite this, it is the most common cancer to affect children, with 85% of ALL patients being under the age of 15.

I hope that's been informative! If you want any more information, the best place to check out would be the NHS website.

Pete