Acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A curable disease

Abstract

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of cancer in children, accounting for one third of all malignant neoplasias affecting them. ALL incidences in children in the United States are of approximately 3,4 cases per 100.000 children under fifteen years old. Up to the middle of last century leukemia was universally considered a fatal disease. The development of therapeutic combinations through the use of various cytotoxic drugs with or without bone marrow transplantation has increased cure percentages of children with ALL in over 80%. Annually around 1.500 children with ALL in the United States are being cured. Nevertheless, of the 75.000 new ALL cases annually diagnosed throughout the world, around 60.000 (80%) have no access to the new treatments and are excluded from the cure process. The challenge of making ALL a curable disease is being met with the report of survival rates over 50% for children treated in countries with limited resources. In El Salvador, Bonilla has achieved increasing the survival rates in children with ALL from 5% to 50%. In Recife, Pedrosa accomplished bringing the 29% cure rate in the 80's to the 75% current cure rate.