hematology and oncology
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
Pathophysiology of ALL
Similar to Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) , acute lymphoblastic leukemia is caused by a series of acquired genetic aberrations. Malignant transformation usually occurs at the pluripotent stem cell level, although it sometimes involves a committed stem cell with more limited capacity for self-renewal. Abnormal proliferation, clonal expansion, aberrant differentiation, and diminished apoptosis (programmed cell death) lead to replacement of normal blood elements with malignant cells. 