Scientist says most childhood leukaemia cases could be prevented

Scientist says most childhood leukaemia cases could be prevented

PanARMENIAN.Net - A leading scientist has identified the likely cause of childhood leukaemia – and said most cases could be prevented, Sky News reports.

Professor Mel Greaves of the Institute of Cancer Research said a combination of a genetic mutation while babies are still in the womb, followed by an infection with an unknown bacteria or virus, is the most likely cause of the blood cancer.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is the most common type of childhood cancer, with 500 cases diagnosed in the UK each year. Around 90% are cured.

Professor Greaves, who has been studying childhood leukaemia for more than 40 years, debunked theories that radiation, high voltage electricity cables or chemicals caused leukaemia.

He said: "It has always struck me that something big was missing, a gap in our knowledge - why or how otherwise healthy children develop leukaemia and whether this cancer is preventable."

In a review of previous studies, published in the journal Nature Reviews Cancer, he said most cases of the disease are caused by two crucial steps.

The first occurs in the womb, when a random genetic mutation predisposes the baby to leukaemia. But only 1% of children born with the alteration go on to develop the disease.

The second is caused by exposure to one or more common infections, particularly if children have had 'clean' upbringings, with little exposure to bugs from siblings or other social interactions.

The finding suggests that exposing children with the first stage mutation to benign microbes early in life could be enough to protect them from developing leukaemia.

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