A devastated family revealed this week that their athletic teenage son died of leukemia just 24 hours after being diagnosed – leaving many wondering if cancer can kill in such a short time.
Kyle Limper, 16, suffered back pain after playing basketball earlier this month, but within days became so sick he couldn’t stand up.
His family said there were no early warning signs, but by the time the cancer was finally diagnosed, his organs had already begun to fail and he died within hours.
Dr. Arif Kamal, the American Cancer Society’s chief patient officer, said patients can die from leukemia even within 24 hours of diagnosis because the cancer grows quickly and may not be detected until the late stages once it has spread. It comes after Jerry Springer, 79, died months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Kyle Limper, a 16-year-old, died within 24 hours of being admitted to hospital and diagnosed with leukemia
Limper was a high school athlete who complained of back pain after a recent basketball game, prompting his parents to take him to the hospital
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that cancers caught early, before they have metastasized or spread, have a significantly higher survival rate than cancers caught after they have spread
It was not yet clear what type of cancer Kyle had, but the two most common types in young people are acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
In these cancers, white blood cells begin to grow uncontrollably in the body before spreading to blood vessels and vital organs.
The cancer can also progress quickly because it inherits the ability of white blood cells to multiply rapidly, which are only meant to be used when they are fighting infection.
Doctors thought I was abusing my baby – his “bruise” was actually leukemia
Beth Reilly, from Wallasey in Merseyside, first became concerned about her son Bailey Kilbane, now 16 months old, last October when he developed flu-like symptoms and bruises that would not heal.
When he was asked about the matter, Dr. Kamal told DailyMail.com that the cancer’s late detection was likely due to a combination of missed symptoms and the speed at which the cancer progressed.
He said: “Patients typically feel very drained, tired, sleep a lot and may lose weight unintentionally.
‘But [it is possible for someone to] miss it [especially if] You are an athlete and you are involved in or doing something that is strenuous.”
It was not clear how long the patient had the cancer before the back pain started.
Dr Kamal said that with some types of leukemia – such as chronic leukemia – patients can go months or even years without symptoms.
But with AML and ALL, symptoms usually appear within a few weeks because the first cancer cells divide rapidly and spread throughout the body.
He told DailyMail.com: “What I’ve seen is someone being checked and they’re fine.
“But the next week they don’t feel so well and they come back and their white blood cell count is through the roof.
“Can these changes happen in a few days? Absolutely.’
He added: “I would say from personal experience that for someone who was well – say a week or two ago – and could have normal labs, it wouldn’t be surprising. [vitals]that things can change quickly within a few days.’
The normal white blood cell count is between 4,500 and 11,000 per microliter of blood.
In leukemia patients, it can even rise to more than 200,000 white blood cells per microliter within a week.
When asked how the patient could die so soon after diagnosis, he said it was possible because of the late diagnosis and the treatment he received.
The late diagnosis would have meant that there were already large numbers of cancerous white blood cells in his system, he said, which would likely impair the functioning of his vital organs – such as the heart, liver, kidneys and lungs.
Doctors may also have given chemotherapy to kill the cancer cells, he said, but the resulting damage may have taken its toll on his vital organs.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that two million people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer this year (pictured left). Of the two million cancer diagnoses expected, more than 600,000 of those people will die, the NCI estimates (pictured right).
Dr Kamal added: “Leukemia is a medical emergency and people will die if not treated within hours to a few days.”
While back pain is not a typical symptom of cancer, it can be caused by cancerous white blood cells forming a mass near nerves or joints in the spinal cord causing the symptoms.
They can also accumulate in the bone marrow, he said, causing it to rapidly increase in size and also put pressure on nerves in the bone tissue.
Mr Limper died on April 13 this year after his organs failed, his family revealed in a memorial post.
The youngster previously appeared fit and healthy and was an avid athlete who participated in American football, wrestling and track and field. He hoped to become a CSI or FBI agent.
But after playing a basketball game a few days ago, he came off the court and said his back hurt.
His parents rushed him to the emergency room at Jefferson Hospital, Pennsylvania, but after doctors couldn’t find anything, they told the family to come back in a few days if the pain continued.
His father Kyle told FOX29, “They told me if he didn’t get better I should bring him back in a few days.
“Well, in a few days he couldn’t even stand up.
“He couldn’t even get out of bed and I had to help him up and he fell back on the bed.”
They then took him to the St. Christopher Hospital near their home in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, where doctors diagnosed him with leukemia and said his organs were failing.
He died in hospital within 24 hours of diagnosis, the family said.
His family wrote on the GoFundMe page: “He was a perfectly healthy and happy young man with no signs of illness.
“It came and took him the same day. He died peacefully surrounded by supportive and loving people.”
In the United States, about 6,500 people are diagnosed with ALL each year, six out of 10 of whom are children. A total of 730 people under the age of 20 are also diagnosed with AML each year.
ALL has a five-year survival rate of 89 percent for people under the age of 20, but that drops to 40 percent for adults, according to Cancer.net.
Factors that affect survival include how quickly patients are diagnosed with the cancer.
For example, while the 5-year survival rate for many types of leukemia is over 70 percent, the symptoms may reflect other disorders or be easily overlooked.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society lists common symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, pale complexion, easy bruising, prolonged bleeding and unexplained weight loss or gain.
This also applies to many other forms of illness. Common symptoms of all cancers include fatigue, unexplained weight loss or gain, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, nausea, swelling or lumps in the body, unexplained pain, unusual bleeding and headache, according to the American Cancer Society.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
