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Baby Leukemia Symptoms

Leukemia is cancer of the white blood cells. It is the most common childhood cancer. The National Institute of Health says the most prevalent type of leukemia in children of all ages is acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). The majority of the symptoms associated with childhood leukemia are due to an inadequate supply of normal blood cells.

  1. Risk Factors

    • The National Cancer Institute says risk factors for childhood leukemia include having a sibling with the disease, inheriting certain genetic disorders and prior exposure to radiation or chemotherapy treatments. According to the Mayo Clinic, infants and children over age 10 are considered at a higher risk of developing leukemia.

    ALL

    • When leukemia has been termed "acute" it means the disease is developing at an accelerated pace and if left untreated would most likely be fatal in a few months.

      ALL is a cancer that starts from white blood cells called lymphocytes in the bone marrow, where new blood cells are created.

      About 75 percent of childhood leukemia cases are of the ALL variety.

    AML

    • Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) make up most of the remaining 25 percent of childhood leukemia case. AML leukemia develops in the cells that form white blood cells (other than lymphocytes), red blood cells, or platelets.

      Many of the signs and symptoms of leukemia provided by the American Cancer Society can also be due other problems.

    Fatigue, Fever & Infection

    • A child with leukemia may be very tired and experience a shortness of breath. He or she may also have a high fever and an infection that fails to heal with antibiotics.

    Increased Proneness to Bruising & Bleeding

    • A child with leukemia may bruise easily, and there may be bleeding from the gum's as well as small red spots on the skin caused by bleeding from tiny blood vessels. They may also have periods of excessive coughing.

    Swelling of the Face, Arms & Lymph Nodes

    • As leukemia cells grow and multiple they may begin to push on a large vein that transports blood from the head and arms to the heart. This pressure can result in swelling of the head, arms and upper chest.

      If leukemia has spread to the lymph nodes, there may be swelling on the sides of the neck, under the arms, in the groin and possibly above the collarbone.

    Treatment

    • Unlike most other cancers, surgery is not a conventional method of treating leukemia. Because leukemia is a disease of blood and bone marrow, it cannot be cured or managed with surgery.

      Childhood leukemia is generally treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. The doses and length of treatment will vary depending on the type of leukemia that's been diagnosed.

      Bone marrow and blood stem cell transplantation may be used in some cases.

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