Patients with ALL can be classified into different groups according to the characteristics of their leukaemia using the results of the diagnostic tests. These groups include:
- B-cell or T-cell leukaemia
- Philadelphia chromosome-positive or chromosome-negative
- Genetic attributes: Specific chromosome or mutations
- Categorising patients into risks groups is useful because it can indicate the most appropriate treatment and determine the prognosis. Adjusting treatments according to the patient’s risk group can improve patients’ outcomes.
There are two risk groups in adult patients with ALL:
- Standard-risk: Patients who do not have any risk factors
- High-risk: Patients with risk factors based on age, white blood cell count, genetic abnormalities, and response to initial treatment, as measured by MRD.
