Leukemia in childhood: introduction and etiology

Striking improvement in the treatment of certain childhood cancers during the past decade has resulted from a combined multidisciplinary approach utilizing surgery, irradiation, and chemotherapy early in the disease process. Early use of long-term combination chemotherapy following deficitive clinical and hematologic staging has resulted in significant "cure" rates in several diseases. The etiology of childhood leukemia remains unknown. Implicated have been viruses, genetic abnormalities leading to increased susceptibility, exposure to various chemicals, and at times obscure hereditary or familial factors. The recurrence of leukemia in donor cells in a leukemic child following bone marrow transplantation is reported for the second time.