Leukemia, the most common cancer in children, involves the overgrowth of blood cells. These cells are released from their origin in bone marrow to the bloodstream, where they can take over organs like the spleen, nervous system, and liver and keep those cells from functioning. Also, these cancerous cells cause many health defects such as weakened immune systems and anemia, a low count of red blood cells in the body. The most common type of leukemia in children is acute lymphocytic leukemia (or ALL), a fast growing cancer that specifically affects white blood cells. This type attacks the immune system prominently, and therefore adolescent patients are prone to sickness on top of their leukemia. Unlike adult leukemia that can be linked a lifetime of environment factors, childhood leukemia is most often the result of genetic mutations early in a child's life. Although, some studies have been done that show evidence that parental smoking pre-conception, radiation, and more are linked to some cases of ALL. Chemotherapy is the most common treatment and often shows more positive results in children than adults, which is why efforts are being made to adjust doses of common chemotherapy drugs in children to better prevent relapses into their sickness. From an array of studies and fact sheets, I have accumulated information on the debated causes of childhood leukemia. Everything from smoking to mutations and the evidence behind them is provided here. I hope that this blog post illuminates the effects and background of childhood leukemia and how it connects to the genetics, mutations, and DNA recombination, as well as a better understanding of the the generally inconclusive science of cancer.
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