hematology and oncology
Overview of Leukemia
Risk Factors for Leukemia
Risk of developing leukemia is increased in patients with History of exposure to ionizing radiation (eg, post–atom bomb in Nagasaki and Hiroshima) or to chemicals (eg, benzene, some pesticides, polyaromatic hydrocarbons in tobacco smoke); exposure can lead to acute leukemias Prior treatment with certain antineoplastic drugs, including alkylating agents, topoisomerase II inhibitors,hydroxyurea, and maintenancelenalidomideafter autologous stem cell transplantation withmelphalan-containing conditioning regimens for multiple myeloma; can lead to a type of acute myeloid leukemia called t-AML or therapy-related AML Infection with a virus (eg, human T lymphotropic virus 1 or 2, Epstein Barr virus) can rarely cause certain forms of ALL; this is seen mainly in regions where such infections are common, such as Asia and Africa History of antecedent hematologic disorders, including Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Preexisting genetic conditions (eg, Decreased red blood cell (RBC) production , Bloom syndrome, 