Question
Around February 2014, a child’s face turned yellow. The child had been diagnosed with jaundice at the maternal and child health care center at birth and was discharged after treatment. Later, the child turned yellow again and was diagnosed with anemia at a small clinic, where treatment was administered for anemia. It was not until May that the child was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at a city hospital, and received the same diagnosis at a provincial hospital. The child was only 3 years old, a situation that is heart-wrenching.
Answer
Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia is typically categorized into low, medium, and high-risk groups based on risk, and standardized therapy is administered. The long-term survival rate can reach 80%, but chemotherapy carries risks. The cost of chemotherapy depends on the severity of the risk group and complications. If chemotherapy is successful and there are fewer infections, the cost will be lower.