Blood Cancer in Children | Dr. Vinay Munikoty | Manipal Hospital Kanakapura Road

Duration: 3:30 565 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

Childhood leukemia, also known as pediatric leukemia or childhood blood cancer, is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer affecting young people, accounting for nearly 30 to 35% of all cancer diagnoses in children. This condition arises from the bone marrow, where immature white blood cells such as lymphoblasts or myeloblasts begin to proliferate uncontrollably without stopping signals. These abnormal cells eventually infiltrate the entire bone marrow and spill into the bloodstream, leading to the development of leukemia. The disease is primarily categorized into two main types: acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia, both of which originate in the bone marrow but differ in their cellular origin and treatment approaches. Diagnosis typically begins with abnormal blood reports, though early symptoms often include prolonged fever, swollen lymph nodes in the neck or elsewhere in the body, and enlargement of the liver and spleen. To confirm the diagnosis, doctors perform a complete blood count to gather initial clues, followed by three critical tests: bone marrow aspiration to examine the marrow directly, flow cytometry to identify the specific type of blood cancer, and cytogenetics or molecular analysis to assess the genetic risk associated with the tumor. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia generally carries an excellent prognosis, with over 75% of children recovering successfully, particularly when diagnosed early. Within this category, B-cell leukemia shows even higher success rates exceeding 85%, while T-cell leukemia also presents favorable outcomes. Treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia primarily involves chemotherapy divided into two phases: an intensive phase lasting six to eight months followed by a maintenance phase that continues for about two years. In contrast, acute myeloid leukemia, which is less common and accounts for approximately 20% of childhood blood cancers, also requires an intensive treatment period of six to eight months. Throughout the treatment process, children receive supportive care to prevent infections, ensure proper nutrition, and manage side effects using standardized protocols designed to maximize efficacy while minimizing toxicity. Most procedures are conducted on a day-care basis, meaning prolonged hospital admission is only necessary during the first week after diagnosis, allowing children to return to school after the intensive phase and fully resume normal life within two and a half years. With appropriate treatment at specialized centers and strong support systems, children with leukemia can achieve excellent long-term outcomes and lead healthy lives. The medical team emphasizes that early detection, adherence to standardized protocols, and comprehensive care are key factors in ensuring the best possible results for these young patients. By combining advanced diagnostic tools with tailored therapeutic strategies, healthcare providers aim to provide the safest and most effective treatment paths available. Ultimately, the collaborative effort between doctors, families, and support networks ensures that children receive the right care at the right time, leading to high survival rates and a return to normalcy for the vast majority of those affected by this disease.

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[music] >> Childhood leukemia, also called pediatric leukemia or childhood blood cancer. This is one of the commonest cancers in children. Close to 30 to 35% of kids get diagnosed with cancer have leukemia. Hi, this is Dr. Vinay Munikoti. I'm the pediatric hematologist oncologist and bone marrow transplant physician at Manipal Hospitals Old Airport Road. Today, let us briefly understand about leukemia, which is the commonest cancer in children. Leukemia is of two types. One is called acute lymphoblastic leukemia and another is called acute myeloid leukemia. So, these [music] two tumors arise from a place called bone marrow and it is because the premature cells of blood, >> [music] >> especially the white blood cells, which can be lymphoblast or myeloblast, proliferate infinitely [music] without a stop signal and they become infiltrate the entire bone marrow and then spill over and form leukemia. Now, leukemia, how do we diagnose this? Usually, they come with [music] abnormal blood reports. But, before that, they often have something like prolonged fever and examination shows lumps called lymph nodes in the neck or anywhere in the body and liver and spleen enlargement. When we do investigations of this blood cancers, we do simple test called complete blood count, where we get clue towards this diagnosis. However, how to confirm this includes three to four important diagnostic tests. The first one is called bone marrow aspiration. Second one is to do something called flow cytometry to understand what type of blood cancer it is. And the third one is to do cytogenetics or the genetics of the cells or molecular analysis of the cells to understand what is the [music] risk of this tumor. Now, acute lymphoblastic leukemia has excellent prognosis if diagnosed early and usually the children fare better in more than 75% of cases. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is divided classified as either B cell leukemia or T-cell leukemia. And B-cell leukemia has excellent outcomes, more than 85% success rate. [music] In acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the main modality of treatment is chemotherapy. This goes on for in two phases. The first one is called intensive phase, which goes on for about 6 to 8 months. And then there is maintenance phase, which goes on for about 2 years. On the other hand, [laughter] acute myeloid leukemia, which is less common of the blood cancers in children, seen in about 20% of childhood blood cancers, is treated with intensive phase over a period of 6 to 8 months. [music] Sometimes, during the treatment of these leukemias, the children may have to be supported well to prevent infections, to appropriately nourish them with good nutrition, and also measures taken to avoid side effects. However, most of the standardized protocols that are made in a way for best treatment efficacy, least toxicity, or best safety for the child, [music] and best outcome that we can see. Throughout treatment of these cancers, most of the time that it happens [music] in the day care procedure. And hence prolonged admission, except for the first week at diagnosis, >> [music] >> is not necessary. Often these children, after the first 6 to 8 months, can go back to school. And after 2 and 1/2 years, they are back to normal. Together we stand for these kids, and treat them appropriately in the right center, they have [music] excellent outcomes. Thank you. >> [music]