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Does Down Syndrome Increase the Chances of Developing Leukemia?

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Down syndrome is a genetic disease that occurs in people that have 47 chromosomes instead of 46. Does the Down syndrome increase the chances of developing leukemia? What health risks are involved in trying to keep children from getting leukemia? I have personally seen the effects of Down syndrome. There have been clinical trials that have shown the results of leukemia on kids with Down syndrome. The life expectancy has gone up dramatically because of medicine. Down syndrome has affected the lives of many and psychologists are still looking for answers to solve the disease. Children with Down syndrome or what they call trisomy 21 have a markedly increased risk of leukemia in childhood but as later on in adulthood its has less of a chance …show more content…

Other cases that are risks to get AML are following treatments with chemotherapy and radiation therapy from other cancers.( Howlader 2010) Some sign and symptoms that you may be developing AML are a low platelet count which can cause patients to bleed. Any brain or bleeding from the lungs can also be very damaging. The rarest symptom that can cause AML is Myeloid Sarcoma which is a collection of AML cells that form outside that marrow. The way to get rid of this is autologus stem cell transplant along with chemotherapy. (Howlader 2010) Children that get leukemia about 15 to 20 percent are cases of AML. These kids are treated with induction therapy which is similar to what adults go through. After that is all done they follow a rigorous treatment that results in about 80% remission rate and nearly 50%, 5 year relapse free. The ones that are relapsed free are usually cured. (Koreth 2010). Children that are the age of two years of less have a lower rate of remission and less chance of being fully cured. AML is giving doctors and psychologists a very tough time trying to fight off this cancer. They say it’s the most challenging childhood cancer to treat. The outcomes from children with AML are going to be slightly different then from adults because of the abnormalities. Chemotherapy has had the best effect at fighting off the cancer which has led to increasing cure rates

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