Gene Mutations Appear Key to Childhood Leukemia Risk, Study Says

TUESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Children who inherit certain variations in four particular genes have an increased risk of developing childhood leukemia, a new study says. The researchers also found that Hispanic children are more likely than white or black children to inherit high-risk versions of two of the genes that can lead to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Rates of ALL are higher in Hispanic children than in white or black children, and these findings point to at least one reason for that difference, according to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital-led study. Children inherit two copies of each gene, one from each parent. That means that children could inherit up to eight high-risk versions of the four genes linked to an increased risk of ALL, the researchers said. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_135074.html