Jackson's Story A hero at age ten: Jackson's battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia |  |  |
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Leukemias are cancers that occur in the tissues within the body that produce the body's blood cells and bone marrow. Leukemias are the most common form of childhood cancer. About one-third of all cancers in children under the age of 15 are leukemias, as are about one-fourth of all cancers in people under 20.
Stems cells are present in healthy bone marrow and naturally develop into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets -- all of which are found in blood. Sometimes certain types of immature white blood cells undergo a random mutation, or change, of a gene in the DNA that can cause the cell to grow and multiply uncontrollably, resulting in leukemia. These uncontrolled cells flood the body's organs and interfere with their function. The cells also inhibit the body's ability to produce red and white blood cells and platelets normally.
Stem cells that produce white blood cells come in two major types: myeloid cells and lymphoid cells. When uncontrolled cell growth begins within a descendant of a lymphoid cell, it is acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This is the most common type of childhood leukemia; it accounts for about 85 percent of all childhood leukemias. When the uncontrolled growth originates within a descendant of a myeloid cell, it is acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), the second most common type of childhood leukemia.
