Usually, DNA mutations related to leukemia develop after conception rather than having been inherited.
For instance, a condition called Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which results from an inherited mutation of the TP53 tumor suppressor gene, increases a person’s risk of developing leukemia, as well as some other cancers.Ĭertain inherited conditions can increase the risk of developing leukemia, but most childhood leukemias do not seem to be caused by inherited mutations. Some children inherit DNA mutations from a parent that increase their risk for cancer (see Risk Factors for Childhood Leukemia). Many other changes in chromosomes or in specific genes have been found in childhood leukemias as well. This creates an oncogene known as BCR-ABL, which helps the leukemia cells grow. For example, a translocation seen in nearly all cases of childhood chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and in some cases of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a swap of DNA between chromosomes 9 and 22, which leads to what is known as the Philadelphia chromosome. The point on the chromosome where the break occurs can affect oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. In a translocation, DNA from one chromosome breaks off and becomes attached to a different chromosome. Human DNA is packed into 23 pairs of chromosomes. These gene changes can be inherited from a parent (as is sometimes the case with childhood leukemias), or they may happen randomly during a person’s lifetime if cells in the body make mistakes as they divide to make new cells.Ī common type of DNA change that can lead to leukemia is known as a chromosome translocation.
Some genes control when our cells grow, divide into new cells, and die at the right time: But our genes affect more than how we look. We usually look like our parents because they are the source of our DNA. DNA is the chemical in our cells that makes up our genes, which control how our cells function. Still, scientists have learned that certain changes in the DNA inside normal bone marrow cells can cause them to grow out of control and become leukemia cells. Most children with leukemia do not have any known risk factors. The exact cause of most childhood leukemias is not known.
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