Can Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) Be Found Early?
For many types of cancer, finding the cancer early makes it easier to treat. The American Cancer Society recommends screening tests for early detection of certain cancers in people without any symptoms.
But at this time, there are no special tests recommended to detect ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia, also known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia) early.
ALL often develops and causes symptoms fairly quickly. The best way to find it early is to report any possible symptoms of ALL to a doctor right away.
For people at increased risk of ALL
Some people are known to have a higher risk of ALL (or other leukemias) because of a genetic disorder, such as Down syndrome, or because they were previously treated with certain chemotherapy drugs or radiation.
Most doctors recommend that people at increased risk of ALL get careful, regular medical checkups. This might include checking blood cell counts, which can sometimes find leukemia early, before it causes symptoms.
If you have an increased risk, you might also want to be familiar with the possible symptoms of ALL. Report any symptoms to your health care team.
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- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Advani AS, Aster JC. Clinical manifestations, pathologic features, and diagnosis of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma. UpToDate. 2025. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/clinical-manifestations-pathologic-features-and-diagnosis-of-b-cell-acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-lymphoma on May 9, 2025.
Appelbaum FR. Chapter 95: Acute Leukemias in Adults. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Doroshow JH, Kastan MB, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa. Elsevier: 2020.
National Cancer Institute. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version. 2025. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/patient/adult-all-treatment-pdq on May 9, 2025.
Last Revised: August 13, 2025
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