Bay Biosciences provides high quality, clinical grade, biopsy tissue samples, FFPE tissue blocks with matched cryogenically preserved K2EDTA plasma, sera (serum) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) biofluid samples from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients.
The K2EDTA plasma, sera (serum) and PBMC biofluid specimens are processed from lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patient’s peripheral whole-blood using customized collection and processing protocols.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Overview
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a type of blood cancer that starts in white blood cells in the bone marrow, the soft, spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made. It develops from immature lymphocytes, a kind of white blood cell that’s key to the immune system.
ALL is also known as acute lymphocytic leukemia or acute lymphoid leukemia. Acute means it gets worse quickly. It’s a rare type of leukemia, or blood cancer, in adults but the most common type in children.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) invades the blood and can spread to other organs, such as the liver, spleen and lymph nodes. But it usually doesn’t develop tumors like other types of cancers.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is most common among children under 5 years of age. The risk reduces until a person is in their mid-20s and then rises again after the age of 50 years. About 60% of diagnoses are in children.
The ACS predicts that close to 6,660 patients will receive a diagnosis of ALL in 2022, and about 1,560 people will die from the condition. ALL is more likely to be fatal in adults than in children.
Signs and Symptoms of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
Leukemia develops when the body produces too many immature white blood cells, or blast cells. In the case of ALL, it produces too many lymphoblasts or lymphocytes. These become leukemia cells.
As the concentration of these blast cells increases in the bone marrow and the blood, they crowd out the healthy cells that enable the body to function. As the numbers of red blood cells and platelets fall, symptoms start to appear.
They usually start slowly but grow increasingly more severe as the concentration of blast cells rises in the blood.
The symptoms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) may include the following:
- Easy bruising or frequent bleeding, such as nosebleeds
- Excessive sweating
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Frequent infections
- Dizziness
- Painful joints and bones
- Pale skin
- Reduced appetite
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Tiny red spots just under the skin (petechiae)
- Shortness of breath
- Unexplained Weight Loss
Purpura and petechiae appear red or purple on light skin. On dark skin, they may be harder to see, but they will likely be visible on lighter areas, such as the palms of the hands or inside the mouth.
As the disease progresses, it can affect other organs. If it reaches the liver and spleen, there may be abdominal swelling and discomfort.
If the ALL starts to affect the brain and spinal cord, the patient may experience headaches, weakness, and other symptoms.
Causes of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) occurs when a bone marrow cell develops changes (mutations) in its genetic material or DNA.
A cell’s DNA contains the instructions that tell a cell what to do. Normally, the DNA tells the cell to grow at a set rate and to die at a set time. In acute lymphocytic leukemia, the mutations tell the bone marrow cell to continue growing and dividing.
When this happens, blood cell production becomes out of control. The bone marrow produces immature cells that develop into leukemic white blood cells called lymphoblasts. These abnormal cells are unable to function properly, and they can build up and crowd out healthy cells.
Exact causes of the DNA mutations that can lead to acute lymphocytic leukemia are unknow.
A 2018 study suggests that proximity to overhead power cables may pose a “small and imprecise” risk of childhood leukemia. The authors note the need for more research to confirm this link.
Risk Factors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
Following are some of the factors that may increase the risk of developing acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL):
- Previous Cancer Treatment: Adults and children who’ve had certain types of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for other types of cancer may have an increased risk of developing acute lymphocytic leukemia.
- Exposure to Radiation: Patients exposed to very high levels of radiation, such as survivors of a nuclear reactor accident, have an increased risk of developing acute lymphocytic leukemia.
- Genetic Disorders. Certain genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome, are associated with an increased risk of acute lymphocytic leukemia.
Diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
If a patient has symptoms that indicate acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a doctor will take the patient’s medical history. Perform a physical examination, to look for swollen lymph nodes, bleeding and bruising, or signs of infection.
Following tests and procedures are used to diagnose acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL):
- Blood Tests: Blood tests may reveal too many or too few white blood cells, not enough red blood cells, and not enough platelets. A blood test may also show the presence of blast cells, immature cells normally found in the bone marrow.
- Bone Marrow Test: During bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, a needle is used to remove a sample of bone marrow from the hipbone or breastbone. The sample is sent to a lab for testing to look for leukemia cells.A pathologist in the lab will classify blood cells into specific types based on their size, shape, and other genetic or molecular features. They also look for certain changes in the cancer cells and determine whether the leukemia cells began from B lymphocytes or T lymphocytes. This information helps the doctor develop a treatment plan.
- Imaging Tests: Imaging tests such as an X-ray, a computerized tomography (CT) scan or an ultrasound scan may help determine whether cancer has spread to the brain and spinal cord or other parts of the body.
- Spinal Fluid Test: A lumbar puncture test, also called a spinal tap, may be used to collect a CSF sample or spinal fluid, the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. This sample is tested to see whether cancer cells have spread to the spinal fluid.
A biopsy can confirm whether cancer is present and, if so, the type. Imaging tests can show whether it has spread to other parts of the body.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Treatment Stages
Most cancers are divided into stages, based on how far they’ve spread. But with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), doctors describe it according to the treatment.
- Untreated: This means it is a new diagnosis. The patient might have been treated for other symptoms but not for the cancer itself.
- Remission: This means that the patients got treatment to kill as many leukemia cells as possible. Their CBC levels are normal, and no more than 5% of cells in the bone marrow are leukemia cells.
- Recurrent: This is cancer which comes back after the treatment and remission.
Treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
The treatment options will depend on the type of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) the patient has, their age, and overall health condition.
Following are several treatment options for ALL.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a type of medication that kills cancer cells effectively. However, it can also kill healthy cells, meaning that there is a high risk of adverse effects. These usually pass after the treatment finishes.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy targets affected areas with a radioactive beam. A doctor may recommend this treatment if ALL has spread to the patient’s central nervous system (CNS), which comprises the brain and spinal cord.
Bone Marrow or Stem-Cell Transplant
A bone marrow transplant or stem-cell transplant can support chemotherapy. As chemotherapy can kill both healthy bone marrow cells and cancer cells, a transplant can help boost the renewal of these cells and the body’s ability to recover from chemotherapy.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy is a relatively new strategy that involves targeting specific proteins, genes, or other factors that encourage cancer to grow. Blocking these factors can delay or prevent the growth of cancer. As the treatment has a specific target, it should produce fewer side effects than chemotherapy, but adverse effects are still possible.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a newer treatment option. It aims to help the body defeat cancer by boosting the action of the immune system.
About 80% to 90% of adults reach remission after treatment. For about 30% to 40%, the cancer doesn’t return. But many relapse, meaning the disease returns.
ALL patients will need post-remission therapy to keep the cancer from coming back. This involves cycles of treatment over 2 to 3 years. It aims to rid the body of leukemia cells.
The FDA has also approved a form of treatment called CAR T-cell therapy. It uses some of the patients own immune cells, called T cells, to treat the cancer. Doctors take the cells out of your blood and add genes to them. The new T cells are better able to find and kill cancer cells.
The drug, tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah), is approved only for children and young adults up to age 25 who have a certain type of ALL and haven’t gotten better with other treatments. But scientists are working on a version of CAR T-cell therapy for adults and for other kinds of cancer.
ALL Treatment for Children
The primary form of treatment for children with leukemia is chemotherapy.
The initial treatment is intense, and the child will usually need to spend time in the hospital. However, over 95% of children with ALL enter remission after 1 month of initial treatment.
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute notes that 15–20% of children achieve remission but experience a relapse later. However, it also states that the cure rate is more than 90%.
Outlook of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
The outlook for different types of cancer has improved dramatically in recent years. As researchers find new ways of diagnosing and treating leukemia, the chance of surviving continues to increase.
According to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) data from 2012–2018, 70.8% of the patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) will live another 5 years or more after their diagnosis, compared with those without the disease.
The outlook for children is better. According to the ACS, the 5-year survival rate for children with ALL is 90%.
Factors that affect the ALL patient’s outlook include the following:
- Age
- Genetic factors
- Patient’s overall health
- Type of ALL the patient has
Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.
Samples available include cancer (tumor) tissue, cancer serum, cancer plasma, cancer, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). and human tissue samples from most other therapeutic areas and diseases.
Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and from normal healthy donors available in all formats and types.
Our biobank procures and stores fully consented, deidentified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples and matched controls.
All our human tissue collections, human specimens and human bio-fluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.
This critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.
Patient’s data is extremely valuable for researchers and is used to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, and other therapeutic areas and diseases.
Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and biological samples, including cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.
Including fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as serum, plasma and PBMC.
Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.
Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.
Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:
- Peripheral whole-blood
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- Sputum
- Pleural effusion
- Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
- Serum (sera)
- Plasma
- Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)
- Saliva
- Buffy coat
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- Stool samples
- Aqueous humor
- Vitreous humor
- Kidney stones (renal calculi)
- Other bodily fluids from most diseases including cancer.
We can also procure most human bio-specimens, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.
In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human plasma, serum, and PBMC bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.
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