acute lymphocytic leukemia

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer that starts in your bone marrow (the soft inner part of certain bones, where new blood cells are made). With this type of leukemia, the cancer cells usually invade your blood fairly quickly. They can also sometimes spread to other parts of your body, including your lymph nodes, liver, spleen, central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), testicles (in males), and other organs. Cancer starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer cells. Learn more here. Leukemias are cancers that start in cells that would normally develop into different types of blood cells. Most often, leukemia starts in early forms of white blood cells, but some leukemias start in other blood cell types. There are several types of leukemia. They are divided based mainly on whether the leukemia is acute (fast growing) or chronic (slower growing), and whether it starts in myeloid cells or lymphoid cells. ALL isn’t the only cancer that starts in the lymphocytes. Other types of cancer, such as lymphomas , also start in these cells. (This is true of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma .) Leukemias mainly affect the bone marrow and blood. Lymphomas mainly affect the lymph nodes or other organs, although they may also involve the bone marrow. Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). National Cancer Institute. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version. 2025. Accessed at on May 5, 2025. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Version 3.2024. Accessed at on May 5, 2025.