T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL)
From Standard of Care
More common in children than adults with most presentations in the teenage years.
A malignancy of thymic T-cell progenitors before they become effector T cells.
30-40% of cases have a normal and 15-20% of cases have a failed type of karyotype.
NOTCH-1 mutations occur in about half of patients with T-cell ALL.
Prognostic value of genetic abnormalities in T-cell ALL less clear then for a B-cell disease.
Overexpression of intracellular Notch-1 in lymphocyte precursors has a significant role in pathogenesis.
Prognosis better for children than adults.
Cure rate for children and young adults is 75% or better.
