Pathogenesis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Abstract

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a hematological malignant disease characterized by an enhanced self-renewal ability of precursor lymphoid cells whose cell division takes more time than their normal counterparts.  ALL occurs most between 2 to 5 years of age and during the sixth decade of life. There is a strong relationship between the time ALL occurs in children and the genetic abnormalities which are identified by the rate of leukemic concordance between identical twins. About 90% of ALL cases do not have a clear etiological mechanism. Genetic syndromes, polymorphic variants genes, germline mutations, and some environmental factors are responsible for less than 10% of ALL predisposition but the pathogenesis mechanism of ALL is not identified precisely. Here we review the recent findings and earlier studies about the pathogenesis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and its incidence. This article also summarizes the identification of predictive factors for ALL and options available to predict disease recurrence.