Risk Factors for Leukemia
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Family History of Leukemia
Your risk of getting leukemia may be greater if one of your family members has also been diagnosed with it. (1)
Having a parent with leukemia doesn’t seem to raise a child’s risk for leukemia. But siblings of children with leukemia are more likely to develop the cancer.
This risk is also increased for identical twins. If a twin develops childhood leukemia, the other twin has about a 1 in 5 chance of having it as well. (7)
Environmental Factors Linked to Leukemia
Many environmental factors have been linked to leukemia, including:
- Radiation Being around high levels of radiation may increase the risk for leukemia. For instance, people who were exposed to atomic bomb explosions during World War II had higher rates of leukemia than those who weren’t. A 20-year study that followed workers who cleaned up after the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident found that even low doses of radiation increased the risk for all types of leukemia. Some studies have also shown a link between having X-rays during pregnancy and the baby’s risk of childhood leukemia later on. Pregnant women are usually advised to avoid X-rays when possible. It’s unclear whether X-rays during childhood can affect the risk of leukemia in kids. (1,4)
- Chemicals Exposure to benzene, a chemical that’s used to make plastics, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides, may increase the risk for some types of leukemia.
- Smoking Smoking can raise your chances of getting AML. (1) Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals. At least 69 of them are known to be cancer-causing. (8)
- Chemotherapy Drugs Adults and children who were treated with chemotherapy medicines, such as cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), chlorambucil (Leukeran), etoposide (Vepesid), and teniposide, have a higher risk of developing some kinds of leukemia. The secondary cancer usually crops up within 2 to 10 years of treatment. (7)
You may have heard that living near power lines or a nuclear power plant can raise the risk of leukemia. There’s not enough hard evidence to show these exposures are strong risk factors. Researchers continue to study this possible link. (7)
Blood Disorders
Having certain blood disorders, such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, and idiopathic myelofibrosis, can increase your risk of developing AML.
Related: What Are the Risk Factors for Cancer?
Is Leukemia Preventable?
Since scientists don’t know exactly what causes it, there’s no surefire way to prevent leukemia.
But avoiding certain triggers, such as exposure to cigarette smoke, chemicals, pesticides, and radiation, may lower your chances of getting leukemia.
Maintaining a healthy diet along with regular exercise may also help you avoid many types of cancer, including leukemia. (9)
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