Diagnosis and treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most frequent neoplastic disease in childhood and accounts for about 20% of the acute leukemias in adults. An early peak of ALL incidence occurs at the age of 4-5 years and the overall incidence is 1.4 with a male predominance. It is relatively infrequent in younger adults but the incidence seems to increase in adults aged over 50 (Chapter “Epidemiology and Hereditary Aspects of Acute Leukemia”). The median age of patients in most adult ALL studies ranges from 25 to 39 years.