ALL (Acute Lymphoblast Leukemia) and Prognosis Posted: 11-11-06 10:24am
I have a family member who was just
diagnosed with ALL Lukemia. He is 89
years old and not in any shape to be
aggressive with treatment. The doctor put
him on steroids last week. His white
count was doubling daily. Our family has
come to grips with the fact that this
condition is fatal. We are most concerned
right now with how it will happen. Can
anyone tell me what happens at the end of
this disease? What fails? How much pain?
How do we know when it's coming to the
end?
Thank you...desperate for answers...
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DoctorAnswer
Doctor Answer
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Leukemia Answer A1856 Posted: 12-04-06 03:23am
ALL (Acute Lymphoblast Leukemia) is more
commonly diagnosed for children than for
adults. The prognosis, however, is worse
for than for children. To define, ALL is
malignant tumor of the bone marrow.
Malignant cells proliferate rapidly
,destroying the surrounding normal bone
marrow cells. Destruction of the healthy
bone marrow cells than leads to anemia,
thrombocytopenia and leucopenia. Anemia
weakens the heart; thrombocytopenia causes
bleeding, and leucopenia makes the body
vulnerable to infections. Malignant cells
during ALL can also spread through the
body, infiltrating and damaging all the
organs (especially the brain, liver,
spleen, bones and lymph nodes). High
temperature and pain are usually present.
The body can retire from infections and
heart failure. Aggressive chemotherapy can
sometimes be impossible due to age.
Without chemotherapy, a person
experiencing ALL can die within a few
months.
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