Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Adult ALL

Risk Factors for Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

No one knows the exact causes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and doctors can seldom explain why one person will get ALL and another person will not. However, leukemia research has shown that people with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease.

Adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia risk factors include:

Being male
Being Caucasian
Being more than 70 years of age
Past treatment with chemotherapy or radiation therapy
Exposure to atomic bomb radiation
Having a certain genetic disorder, such as Down syndrome.

Symptoms of Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Like all blood cells, leukemia cells travel through the body. Depending on the number of abnormal cells and where these cells collect, patients with adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia may have a number of ALL symptoms.

The early signs of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia may be similar to the flu or other common diseases. However, a doctor should be consulted if any of the following problems occur:

Weakness or feeling tired
Fever
Easy bruising or bleeding
Petechiae (flat, pinpoint spots under the skin caused by bleeding)
Shortness of breath
Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
Pain in the bones or stomach
Pain or feeling of fullness below the ribs
Painless lumps in the neck, underarm, stomach, or groin.

These and other symptoms may be caused by adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia or by other conditions.

(Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Continued: Page 3)
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