While we don't know the exact cause of most cases of leukemia, during the past few years, scientists have made great progress in understanding how certain changes in DNA can cause bone marrow stem cells to develop into leukemia. Genetic risk factors are those that are part of our DNA. DNA is the substance that carries the instructions for nearly everything our cells do. But while some genetic factors increase the risk of childhood leukemia, most cases of leukemia are not linked to any known genetic causes.
This means that gene mutations and chromosome abnormalities in leukemia cells occur by chance. The abnormalities found in leukemia cells are not found in the other cells of the body. The immune system plays an important role in protecting the body from diseases, and possibly cancer. An alteration or defect in the immune system may also increase the risk for developing leukemia. Factors such as exposure to certain viruses, environmental factors, chemical exposures, and various infections have been associated with damage to the immune system, but none of these factors has been definitively linked as a cause of childhood leukemia.
