What causes Leukemia?
-No one knows the exact cause of leukemia.
-Doctors seldom know why one person gets leukemia and another doesn't.
-However, research shows that certain risk factors increases the chance of a person getting this disease.
-Anything that increases your chance of getting a disease is called a risk factor.
-Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get cancer; not having risk factors doesn’t mean that you will not get cancer.
Risk factors
. Risk factors for leukemia include the following:
- Radiation
-Smoking
-Benzene
-Chemotherapy
-Certain inherited and blood disorders
-Family history
Leukemia risk factors
-People exposed to very high levels of radiation are much more likely than others to get acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, or acute lymphocytic leukemia.
.Atomic bomb explosions
-Very high levels of radiation have been caused by atomic bomb explosions (such as those in Japan during World War II).
-People, especially children, who survive atomic bomb explosions are at increased risk of leukemia.
.Radiation therapy
-Another source of exposure to high levels of radiation is medical treatment for cancer and other conditions.
-Radiation therapy can increase the risk of leukemia.
.Diagnostic x-rays
-Dental x-rays and other diagnostic x-rays (such as CT scans) expose people to much lower levels of radiation
-It's not known yet whether this low level of radiation to children or adults is linked to leukemia.
-Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of acute myeloid leukemia.
Smoking
-Exposure to benzene in the workplace can cause acute myeloid leukemia.
-It may also cause chronic myeloid leukemia or acute lymphocytic leukemia.
-Benzene is used widely in the chemical industry. It's also found in cigarette smoke and gasoline.
Benzene
-Cancer patients treated with certain types of cancer-fighting drugs sometimes later get acute myeloid leukemia or acute lymphocytic leukemia.
-For example, being treated with drugs known as alkylating agents or topoisomerase inhibitors is linked with a small chance of later developing acute leukemia.
.Down syndrome and certain other inherited diseases
-Down syndrome and certain other inherited diseases increase the risk of developing acute leukemia.
-Myelodysplastic syndrome and certain other blood disorders
-People with certain blood disorders are at increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia.
Certain diseases
-People with HTLV-I infection are at increased risk of a rare type of leukemia known as adult T-cell leukemia.
-Although the HTLV-I virus may cause this rare disease, adult T-cell leukemia and other types of leukemia are not contagious
Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I)
Among children, the most common types are:
Medulloblastoma:
-The tumor usually arises in the cerebellum.
-It's sometimes called a primitive neuroectodermal tumor.
-It is grade IV.
-Grade I or II astrocytoma:
-In children, this low grade tumor occurs anywhere in the brain.
-The most common astrocytoma among children is juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma.
-It's grade I.
Ependymoma:
-The tumor arises from cells that line the ventricles or the central canal of the spinal cord.
-It's most commonly found in children and young adults.
-It can be grade I, II, or III.
Brain stem glioma:
-The tumor occurs in the lowest part of the brain.
-It can be a low-grade or high-grade tumor.
-The most common type is diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma .
.The area just inside the nostrils is called the nasal vestibule. A small area of special cells in the roof of each nasal passage sends signals to the brain to give the sense of smell.
.Together the paranasal sinuses and the nasal cavity filter and warm the air, and make it moist before it goes into the lungs.
.The movement of air through the sinuses and other parts of the respiratory system help make sounds for talking.
-It's rare for more than one person in a family to have leukemia.
-When it does happen, it's most likely to involve chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
-However, only a few people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia have a father, mother, brother, sister, or child who also has the disease.
There are 3 pairs of major salivary glands:
-Parotid glands: These are the largest salivary glands and are found in front of and just below each ear. Most major salivary gland tumors begin in this gland.
-Sublingual glands: These glands are found under the tongue in the floor of the mouth.
-Submandibular glands: These glands are found below the jawbone.
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