Stage 1

• Induction is the first stage of chemotherapy each child receives after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The goal is to eradicate all diseased blood cells in the bone marrow and find proof that the marrow is producing healthy blood cells. This first stage of treatment lasts about 1 month. The American Cancer Society reports that 95 percent of children will go into remission after this period. Because infection can easily occur at this time, many children end up spending a lot of time in the hospital.
  
  

Stage 2

• The second part of treatment for ALL includes two to six spinal taps so that chemotherapy can be injected into the spinal fluid. The purpose for this treatment is to kill any leukemia cells that have gotten into the central nervous system. The first two procedures are done in the first month of a child's treatment. Four to six more taps are done over the next one or two months. Even more spinal taps could be required for a child with a severe diagnosis of ALL. This stage of treatment is called intrathecal chemotherapy. Approximately five to ten percent of children receiving intrathecal chemotherapy have seizures. While this stage of treatment is carrying on, the patient will start receiving medication to prevent the cancer cells from building up a resistance to the chemotherapy. The goal is to reduce the number of leukemia cells in the body. Called consolidation, this stage lasts about 4 to 8 months. This is the most intensive stage of the child's overall treatment.
  
  

Stage 3

• Maintenance therapy begins once the child's disease is in remission. This stage is administered in cycles over the course of 2 to 3 years. According to KidsHealth.org, a peer-reviewed medical information outlet, leukemia is likely to recur if the patient does not get treated regularly with maintenance chemotherapy. Depending on the severity of the child's diagnosis, a bone-marrow transplant may take place.