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Ekpa QL, Akahara PC, Anderson AM, Adekoya OO, Ajayi OO, Alabi PO, Okobi OE, Jaiyeola O, Ekanem MS. A Review of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) in the Pediatric Population: Evaluating Current Trends and Changes in Guidelines in the Past Decade. Cureus 2023; 15:e49930. [PMID: 38179374 PMCID: PMC10766210 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.49930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a commonly diagnosed cancer in children. Despite technological advancements to improve treatment and survival rates, there has been a steady increase in the incidence of ALL and treatment failures. This paper discusses the pathogenic interaction between genetic and environmental factors leading to childhood ALL. It evaluates the current treatment guidelines and notable obstacles leading to resistance, relapse, and treatment toxicities. The review evaluates a 10-year trend in the management guidelines of pediatric ALL through a systematic literature review of records from 2012 to 2023. Findings show that improvement in the five-year survival rates, notwithstanding rates of relapse and incurable diseases, is still high. Furthermore, several risk factors, including an interplay between genetic and environmental factors, are largely contributory to the outcome of ALL treatments and its overall incidence. Moreover, huge financial costs have remained a significant challenge in outcomes. There remains a need to provide individualized treatment plans, shared decision-making, and goals of care as parts of the management guidelines for the best possible outcomes. We expect that future advancements will increase overall survival rates and disease-free years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Queen L Ekpa
- General Practice, Conestoga College, Kitchener, CAN
| | | | - Alexis M Anderson
- Pediatric Medicine, St. George's University, School of Medicine, St. George's, GRD
| | | | - Olamide O Ajayi
- Pediatrics, Medway Maritime Hospital, Kent, GBR
- Internal Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo College of Health Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Sagamu, NGA
| | - Peace O Alabi
- Pediatrics, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Abuja, NGA
| | - Okelue E Okobi
- Family Medicine, Larkin Community Hospital Palm Springs Campus, Hialeah, USA
- Family Medicine, Medficient Health Systems, Laurel, USA
- Family Medicine, Lakeside Medical Center, Belle Glade, USA
| | | | - Medara S Ekanem
- General Medicine, Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilishan-Remo, NGA
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Gilleland Marchak J, Devine KA, Hudson MM, Jacobson LA, Michel G, Peterson SR, Schulte F, Wakefield CE, Sands SA. Systematic Review of Educational Supports of Pediatric Cancer Survivors: Current Approaches and Future Directions. J Clin Oncol 2021; 39:1813-1823. [PMID: 33886350 DOI: 10.1200/jco.20.02471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Gilleland Marchak
- Emory University, Atlanta, GA.,Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
| | - Katie A Devine
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ
| | | | - Lisa A Jacobson
- Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Gisela Michel
- Department of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | | | - Fiona Schulte
- Department of Oncology, Division of Psychosocial Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary AB, Canada
| | - Claire E Wakefield
- Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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