September is Leukemia Awareness Month

Introduction

New cases of leukemia will strike 44,790 people in the United States in 2009. While leukemia is often thought of as a disease that strikes children, adults are diagnosed with it ten times more than children. The most common types of leukemia are acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML) sometimes called acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

In an effort to increase public awareness about leukemia, UPMC Cancer Centers joins other organizations nationwide to promote Leukemia Awareness Month in September. UPMC developed these pages as a resource for learning more about leukemia.

Leukemia risk factors

Anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease is called a risk factor. Though the precise cause of leukemia is unknown, the following factors may increase the likelihood of developing leukemia:

• Chemical exposure – Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene is a link to acquiring AML.
• Smoking – Cancer-causing substances in tobacco smoke are absorbed by the lungs and spread through the bloodstream to many parts of the body. Scientists estimate that about one-fifth of cases of AML are caused by smoking.
• Radiation exposure – High-dose radiation exposure (such as being a survivor of an atomic bomb blast or nuclear reactor accident) increases the risk of developing AML or ALL.
• Genetic disorders – Those with rare genetic disorders such as Fanconi's Anemia, Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, Bloom's Syndrome, Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, or Ataxia Telangiectasia can develop AML.
• Chemotherapy drugs – Those undergoing treatment for other types of cancer can develop AML. Drugs most associated with this are mechlorethamine, procarbazine, chlorambucil, etoposide, teniposide and to a lesser degree, cyclophosphamide. In combination with radiation treatment, the risk is even higher for secondary leukemias.

Leukemia facts

• Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are cancers that originate in the bone marrow (in the case of leukemia and myeloma) or in lymphatic tissues (in the case of lymphoma).
• Leukemia occurs more often in males than in females.
• Scientists have not linked exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) to the incidence of leukemia.
• Every nine minutes, a child or adult dies from leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma.

Sources: American Cancer Society; National Cancer Institute

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