Acute Leukaemia

What are the risk factors for acute leukaemia?

Most people who develop acute leukemia have no known risk factors and the leukaemia develop spontaneously. There are however some factors which may increase the risk of developing certain types of leukaemia.

These are:

• Previous cancer treatment – chemotherapy and radiation therapy
• Genetic disorders where there are abnormalities in the genes which contribute to the development of leukaemia
• Chemical such as benzene and radiation exposure