Risk Factors
When you're told that you have cancer, it's natural
to wonder what may have caused the disease. No one
knows the exact causes of leukemia. Doctors seldom
know why one person gets leukemia and another
doesn't. However, research shows that certain risk factors increase the chance that a person will get this
disease.
The risk factors may be different for the different
types of leukemia:
- Radiation: People exposed to very high levels of
radiation are much more likely than others to get
acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia,
or acute lymphocytic leukemia.
- Atomic bomb explosions: Very high levels of
radiation have been caused by atomic bomb
explosions (such as those in Japan during World
War II). People, especially children, who survive
atomic bomb explosions are at increased risk of
leukemia.
- Radiation therapy: Another source of exposure to
high levels of radiation is medical treatment for
cancer and other conditions. Radiation therapy
can increase the risk of leukemia.
- Diagnostic x-rays: Dental x-rays and other
diagnostic x-rays (such as CT scans) expose
people to much lower levels of radiation. It's not
known yet whether this low level of radiation to
children or adults is linked to leukemia.
Researchers are studying whether having many
x-rays may increase the risk of leukemia. They
are also studying whether CT scans during
childhood are linked with increased risk of
developing leukemia.
- Smoking: Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of
acute myeloid leukemia.
- Benzene: Exposure to benzene in the workplace can
cause acute myeloid leukemia. It may also cause
chronic myeloid leukemia or acute lymphocytic
leukemia. Benzene is used widely in the chemical
industry. It's also found in cigarette smoke and
gasoline.
- Chemotherapy: Cancer patients treated with certain
types of cancer-fighting drugs sometimes later get
acute myeloid leukemia or acute lymphocytic
leukemia. For example, being treated with drugs
known as alkylating agents or
topoisomerase inhibitors is linked with a small chance of later
developing acute leukemia.
- Down syndrome and certain other inherited
diseases: Down syndrome and certain other
inherited diseases increase the risk of developing
acute leukemia.
- Myelodysplastic syndrome and certain other blood
disorders: People with certain blood disorders are at
increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia.
- Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I):
People with HTLV-I infection are at increased risk
of a rare type of leukemia known as adult T-cell
leukemia. Although the HTLV-I virus may cause
this rare disease, adult T-cell leukemia and other
types of leukemia are not contagious.
- Family history of leukemia: It's rare for more than
one person in a family to have leukemia. When it
does happen, it's most likely to involve chronic
lymphocytic leukemia. However, only a few people
with chronic lymphocytic leukemia have a father,
mother, brother, sister, or child who also has the
disease.
Having one or more risk factors does not mean that
a person will get leukemia. Most people who have risk
factors never develop the disease.
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