Childhood leukemia is often found because children have symptoms that prompt a visit to the doctor. Blood test results are abnormal, which then points to the diagnosis. But in children who are not at increased risk, there are no special tests that are used to detect leukemia early. The best strategy for early diagnosis is prompt attention to the signs and symptoms of this disease (see "How is childhood leukemia diagnosed?").

For children with a known increased risk of leukemia (because of Li-Fraumeni syndrome or Down syndrome, for example), most doctors recommend careful, regular medical checkups. The same is true for children who have had other cancers treated with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, and for children who have received organ transplants and are taking immune system-suppressing drugs. The risk of leukemia in these children, although higher than in the general population, is still small.

Last Medical Review: 08/19/2007
Last Revised: 05/14/2009