Children's Hospital is part of the UPMC family.
Our Sites
Be safe anytime, anywhere.
To find a pediatrician or pediatric specialist, please call 412-692-7337 or search our directory.
A resource for our network of referring physicians.
For more information about research, please call our main office at 412-692-6438.
Ranked #8 Nationally by U.S. News & World Report.
Leukemia is cancer of the blood, specifically the white blood cells.
Your body makes blood in your bone marrow. Bone marrow is the soft, spongy center of certain bones.
There are 3 main types of blood cells:
Except for certain genetic syndromes, we don't know what causes childhood leukemia.
Most childhood leukemias are what doctors call acquired diseases. This means that gene changes and chromosome abnormalities in cells occur by chance.
The immune system helps protect the body from disease — and this may include cancer.
Exposure to certain viruses, chemicals, infections, and environmental factors can damage the immune system. A defect in the immune system may increase the risk of getting leukemia.
Leukemia is the most common form of childhood cancer.
It affects about 4,000 kids each year in the U.S., and accounts for about 25% of childhood cancers.
There are 3 main types of childhood leukemia:
ALL — also called lymphoblastic or lymphoid leukemia — often affects children between the ages of 2 and 3. ALL accounts for about 75% of childhood leukemia cases each year in the U.S.
ALL affects the lymphocyte cell line, which fights infection.
In ALL, the bone marrow makes too many lymphocytes. They do not mature or function correctly. The immature lymphocytes then overproduce and crowd out the healthy blood cells.
ALL can occur over a short time span of days to weeks.
Most children with ALL have extra chromosomes and changes in the structure of chromosome material.
AML — also called granulocytic, myelocytic, myeloblastic, or myeloid leukemia — accounts for about 19% of childhood leukemias.
AML tends to occur by age 2, and isn't often seen in older children until the teen years. AML is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults.
With AML, the bone marrow makes too many granulocytes, a type of white blood cell that fights infection. They do not mature or function correctly. The immature granulocytes then overproduce and crowd out the healthy blood cells.
AML can occur over a short time span of days to weeks.
Children with certain genetic syndromes have a higher risk of getting AML, including:
CML isn't common in kids.
Like with AML, CML is when the bone marrow makes too many granulocytes. They don't mature or function correctly. The immature granulocytes then overproduce and crowd out the healthy blood cells.
In people with CML, part of chromosome 9 breaks off and attaches to chromosome 22, and they exchange genetic material. This changes the position and functions of certain genes, which results in uncontrolled cell growth.
There may be other chromosome abnormalities, too.
CML can occur over months or years.
Lymphocytic and myelogenous leukemia differ by the stage of development on the pluripotent stem cell. This is the first stage of all blood cells (white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets). This stem cell goes through stages until it matures into a functioning cell.
We learn the type of leukemia by where the cell is in the stage of development when it becomes cancerous.
The stem cell matures into either the lymphoid or myeloid cells.
The lymphoid cells mature into either B-lymphocytes or T-lymphocytes.
If the leukemia is among these cells, it's ALL. If we find the leukemia even further along this stage, we can classify it as B-cell ALL or T-cell ALL. The more mature the cell, the tougher it is to treat.
The myeloid cells form into platelets, red blood cells, and specialized white blood cells (neutrophils and macrophages).
There are many classes of AML.
Because leukemia is cancer of the bone marrow, early symptoms often relate to irregular bone marrow function.
The bone marrow stores and makes about 95% of the body's blood cells.
With leukemia, abnormal white blood cells (blasts) reproduce very quickly. They crowd out and compete for nutrients and space with healthy cells.
While each child's symptoms may differ, the most common symptoms of leukemia are:
With acute leukemia (ALL or AML), these symptoms may come on fast, in a matter of days or weeks. With chronic leukemia (CML), symptoms may start slowly, over months to years.
Leukemia symptoms may mimic other blood disorders or health problems. Always consult your child's doctor for a diagnosis.
To diagnose leukemia, your child's doctor will take their complete health history and do a physical exam.
They may also order:
Your child's doctor will base your child's leukemia treatment on:
To start treatment, we often address the symptoms first, such as anemia, bleeding, and infection.
Treatment for leukemia may also include one or a mix of the following:
The treatment stages of childhood leukemia include:
Even with aggressive treatment, a child can relapse at any stage of care or months or years later.
When this happens, the bone marrow starts making abnormal cells again.
The prognosis for a child with leukemia greatly depends on:
As with any cancer, long-term outlook and survival can vary greatly from child to child.
Prompt health care and aggressive therapy are vital for the best outlook. Routine follow-up care is crucial if your child has leukemia.
Side effects of radiation and chemo, and getting cancer a second time, can occur. Experts are always seeking new ways to improve treatment and decrease side effects.
Our combined team includes world-renowned experts in children's cancer, blood disorders, and diagnostic and interventional radiology. We also work with experts in pathology, nursing, physical and occupational therapy, and psychosocial services, among others.
Your child will have a unique treatment planbased on their age, development, and type of leukemia. We offer a full spectrum of cutting-edge treatment options, including chemo, radiation, and bone marrow transplants.
Your child will have access to cutting-edge research. Doctor-researchers at UPMC Children's Hospital focus on understanding childhood leukemia. That way, we can create better ways to target this cancer.
We're also a member of the Children's Oncology Group (COG) — the world's largest group devoted to childhood cancer research. This allows us to enter children in nearly 100 active studies of the newest cancer treatments with the most promise.
To learn more about treatment for leukemia at UPMC Children's, call 724-386-6319.
Children's Hospital's main campus is located in the Lawrenceville neighborhood. Our main hospital address is:
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh One Children’s Hospital Way 4401 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15224
In addition to the main hospital, Children's has many convenient locations in other neighborhoods throughout the greater Pittsburgh region.
With MyCHP, you can request appointments, review test results, and more.
For questions about a hospital bill call:
To pay your bill online, please visit UPMC's online bill payment system.
Interested in giving to Children's Hospital? Support the hospital by making a donation online, joining our Heroes in Healing monthly donor program, or visiting our site to learn about the other ways you can give back.