Risk Factors
For most types of leukemia, the risk factors and possible causes are not known. However, health professionals have found that risk factors for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) may include:
- Certain chemotherapies used for lymphoma or other types of cancer
- Down syndrome and some other genetic diseases
- Chronic exposure to benzene (such as in the workplace) that exceeds federally approved safety limits
- Radiation therapy used to treat other types of cancer
- Tobacco smoke
Exposure to high doses of radiation therapy is also a risk factor for ALL and Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). Researchers continue to study other possible risk factors for the four types of leukemia.