What is leukemia?
Although childhood leukemia is considered a rare disease, it is the most common cancer that affects children. Almost 30% of children or teens with cancer have some form of leukemia.
Leukemia is cancer of the white blood cells. This cancer starts in the bone marrow, the sponge-like tissue in the center of most bones. Healthy bone marrow makes several types of blood cells, including white blood cells. Normal white blood cells help protect the body from disease. They are part of the immune system.
In children with leukemia, the bone marrow creates too many white blood cells. The white blood cells (leukemia) are abnormal and do not protect the body or fight disease.
What types of leukemia does St. Jude treat?
At St. Jude, we treat multiple kinds of pediatric leukemia, including difficult-to-treat cases.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer that affects the white blood cells. These cells fight infection and help protect the body against disease. Patients with ALL have too many immature white blood cells in their bone marrow. These cells crowd out normal white blood cells. Without enough normal white blood cells, the body has a harder time fighting infections.
In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), white blood cells, produced in bone marrow, are abnormal and do not become healthy cells. These abnormal cells crowd out the normal ones, so the patient’s body has a harder time fighting off infection.
In acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), the bone marrow produces too many cells called promyelocytes. When too many promyelocytes gather in the marrow, they crowd out healthy blood cells. If there are not enough healthy blood cells to do their jobs, patients are at high risk for infection or bleeding.
Mixed phenotype acute leukemia is two forms of leukemia combined: acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The term “mixed phenotype” means “both types.”
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) in children are a group of rare disorders in which the bone marrow does not make enough healthy blood cells.
How do donations to St. Jude help leukemia reseach?
For acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, the 5-year survival rate after diagnosis is more than 85%. St. Jude patients with ALL have a survival rate of 94%, up from just 4% when St. Jude opened its doors in 1962.
Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease past infancy for U.S. children. With the help of our generous donors, we aim to change that. When you make a donation to St. Jude, that money goes to funding treatment for children facing diseases like leukemia and ensures no family ever receives a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live.
Your leukemia donations support care for all St. Jude patients, as well as their caregivers and loved ones, and fund groundbreaking cancer research that we share with doctors and hospitals around the world, so we can help save more lives.
St. Jude patient Kamryn with his mom.
How to support leukemia research
Your donation helps St. Jude provide breakthrough research, treatment and cures for life-threatening pediatric illnesses, such as leukemia. Your donation is tax-deductible and helps us provide children cutting-edge treatments not covered by insurance, at no cost to families.
Here are some ways to contribute to leukemia research and treatment at St. Jude:
- Contribute with a single donation via postal mail or online.
- Pledge ongoing monthly gifts by becoming a St. Jude Partner in Hope.
- Find out if your employer will match your donation and find ways to get your workplace involved.
- Create a lasting legacy when you donate through your will or bequest.
Background: image of leukemia cells.
Your support helps patients like Kamryn
When Kamryn was diagnosed with ALL at just two years old, his family turned to St. Jude for help. Today Kamryn is cancer-free and loves learning and going to school.
Donations to St. Jude help ensure children like Kamryn get the chance to grow up.
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