Leukemia Prevention

Most forms of leukemia develop when immature white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets grow out of control, taking up space where healthy blood cells should exist. The disease develops when genetic mutations or damage occur in bone marrow tissue, which is responsible for making blood cells. There are four main types of leukemia:

• Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) affects a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes
• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) affects red blood cells, platelets and a type of white blood cell called myeloblasts
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) affects lymphocytes
• Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) affects a type of white blood cell called granulocytes

Leukemia risk factors vary among the disease types, but generally include:

• Age. While leukemia is one of the most common cancers in children, it’s still rare to be diagnosed in childhood. Risk of developing leukemia increases with age. It is most commonly diagnosed between ages 65 and 74.
• Sex. Leukemia is more common in men, although we do not know why.
• Exposure to radiation or certain chemicals. Risk of developing leukemia increases if you’ve experienced long-term exposure to benzene or high levels of radiation, such as from a nuclear reactor accident.
• Prior cancer treatment. Having cancer that was treated with certain chemotherapy drugs or high-dose radiation increases risk for developing AML.

Certain inheritable genetic syndromes also appear to raise risk for AML, although having one doesn’t mean you will develop leukemia. These include:

• Fanconi anemia
• Bloom syndrome
• Ataxia-telangiectasia
• Diamond-Blackfan anemia
• Shwachman-Diamond syndrome
• Li-Fraumeni syndrome
• Neurofibromatosis
• Kostmann syndrome

Because we don’t know exactly what causes leukemia, the National Cancer Institute doesn’t make specific suggestions on how to prevent it. However, it’s always a good idea to take steps to lower your overall risk of cancer through lifestyle modification. The following guidelines may be useful for leukemia prevention:

• Not using any tobacco products
• Not drinking alcohol
• Maintaining a body mass index below 25
• Being physically active every day
• Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in processed meats

While there’s no reliable way to prevent cholangiocarcinoma, the following bile duct cancer prevention recommendations may help you reduce your risk for developing the disease:

• Get vaccinated against hepatitis B and take steps to prevent infection with hepatitis C
• Limit alcohol use
• Don’t smoke
• Maintain a body mass index below 25
• Be physically active every day
• Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and limit red and processed meat

At Winship, we're dedicated to curing cancer through our extensive research program, which goes beyond developing novel treatments for cancer. We’re focused on improving how the world prevents, detects, diagnoses, treats and survives all types of cancer, including leukemia.