title: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in infants: 20 years of experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze patients younger than 2 years with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, treated in the period between 1990 and 2010 in a state reference center.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a clinical-epidemiological, cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive study. It included patients younger than 2 years with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, treated in the period of 1990 to 2010 in a pediatric oncology unit of a state reference center, totaling 41 cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients were white ethnicity, and 60.9% were females. Regarding age, 24.38% were younger than 6 months, 17.07% were between 6 months and 1 year, and 58.53% were older than 1 year. The age of 6 months was statistically significant for the outcome of death. Predominant signs and symptoms were fever, bruising, and petechiae. A leukocyte count > 100,000 was found in 34.14% of cases, hemoglobin count < 11 in 95.13%, and platelet count < 100,000 in 75.61. Infiltration of central nervous system was present in 12.91% of patients. According to the lineage, B-cell lineage predominated (73%), but the T-cell line was statistically significant for death. 39% of patients had disease recurrence. In relation to vital status, 70.73% of the patients died; septic shock was the main cause.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in infants has a high mortality rate, especially in children under 1 year and those with T-cell derived lineage.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Oncologist. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. amanda_ibagy@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ibagy
authors.forename: Denise B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Jackline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seiben
authors.forename: Ana P F F
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Winneshoffer
authors.forename: Tatiana E J B
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Juliana S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Dacoregio
authors.forename: Imaruí
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Faraco
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000473:pathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D017254:Leukemic Infiltration; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D010976:Platelet Count; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000401:mortality