Innovation changes the history of children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Santo Domingo.- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), also known as acute lymphocytic leukemia, is a cancer that occurs when a bone marrow cell presents mutations in its genetic material or DNA.

ALL affects the cells responsible for producing lymphocytes and other white blood cells and is one of the main causes of hospitalization for cancer in pediatrics.

This is a disease that impacts adults and children. In the specific case of this last age group, the American Cancer Society states that 3 to 4 cases of children and adolescents diagnosed with leukemia are of the ALL type.

Medical research places ALL as the main cause of childhood mortality, compared to other leukemias such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML); and within five years the burden of the disease is expected to increase by more than 50%. In the Dominican Republic, 339 children were diagnosed in 2024 with different types of cancer, ALL being one of the most frequent.

The Dominican Society of Pediatrics highlights that in the country there have been important advances in the management of childhood cancer, such as the development of a Procedure Manual for early detection of cancer in children and adolescents. “However, we must continue working and emphasize educating the population and the medical community about the recognition of symptoms associated with cancer, to treat the disease in its early stages,” says the president of the Dominican Society of Hematology, Dennis Díaz.

Because this is a cancer that develops quickly and worsens rapidly, early detection of ALL can increase the chances of treatment success; since recognizing the initial symptoms can make the difference in the treatment of this leukemia.

“It is important that both parents and health professionals pay attention to the signs that tell us that something is not right. We should not ignore symptoms such as fatigue, paleness, persistent fever or bruising. And if the child or adolescent presents bone pain, abdominal pain, night sweats, pain or fullness under the ribs, painless lumps in the neck, stomach, groin or under the arm, and frequent infections; keep in mind that these are warning signs that require immediate medical attention,” says the Dr. Flor de María Guzmán, Medical Manager for the hematology therapeutic area of Adium Central America and the Caribbean.

The symptoms of this malignant hematological disease vary and can be confused with those of the flu or other common illnesses. However, the specialist emphasizes that there are 3 signs that should not be missed:

• The first, having a child with a persistent fever that is difficult to manage.
• The second is if the child’s energy levels fluctuate.
• The third, the child has not been hit and has bruises on his body.

Advances in diagnosis and treatment

Early diagnosis of a cancer like ALL can reduce the risk of long-term complications and allow treatment to be tailored to the infant for better success rates.

Just as there have been advances in diagnostic techniques to detect this type of pediatric cancer, new treatments have also emerged, such as monoclonal and/or bispecific antibodies as a complement to chemotherapy, which can change the history of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.