Further research will be focused on prevention of the disease. However, in ALL patients, the lymph system makes too many immature lymphocytes, which begin to crowd out other types of blood cells, including red blood cells and platelets. The immature cells soon invade the bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, and later attack other organs including the spinal cord and the brain. Advanced symptoms include frequent infections, easy bruising, blood blisters, and enlarged spleen or liver. The faster ALL is diagnosed the better the prognosis, however the age and general health of the patient also affect chances of recovery.
Treatment begins with chemotherapy designed to kill as many cancer cells as possible.
If the cells have spread to the brain, the patient will also undergo radiation therapy and chemotherapy injected directly into the spinal fluid. To reduce the risk of relapse, the patient is given maintenance chemotherapy treatments. Bone Marrow Transplants are usually performed during the second remission. In the past ALL patients lived only a few months past diagnosis, now 40 percent of adult patients can expect long term survival. Current research is concentrating on more effective pre-transplant therapies, and the possibility of using biological post transplant treatments to stimulate destruction of the remaining cancer cells.