Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsRisk FactorsGeneticsFamily HistoryDemographicsOther Inherited DisordersEnvironmental ExposuresFamilial AMLCoping and SupportFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Risk Factors
Genetics
Family History
Demographics
Other Inherited Disorders
Environmental Exposures
Familial AML
Coping and Support
Frequently Asked Questions
If you or a family member has been diagnosed withacute myeloid leukemia(AML), you may be wondering if this cancer is genetic, or heritable. In most cases, leukemia is not hereditary and does not run in families.
Acute myeloid leukemiais a cancer of the blood cells. In the spongy tissue of the long bones (bone marrow), stem cells are constantly dividing and maturing into new blood cells. When cancer develops in the stem cells, it starts forming immature blood cells instead. These immature cells don’t work as well as mature blood cells.
About 20,000 new cases of AML were predicted to be diagnosed in the United States in 2021.In many of these cases, the patient either has no known risk factors or their mainrisk factors for AMLare lifestyle and environmentally based, such as smoking and exposure to toxic chemicals.
But some AML patients inherit gene mutations that increase their risk of developing leukemia. AML also occurs more often in people with some inherited disorders such as ataxia telangiectasia (a rare disease that affects the nervous, immune, and body systems) and Down syndrome (trisomy 21, the presence of a third copy of chromosome 21). There is also a rare subtype of leukemia called familial AML that is passed through family lines.
This article will review the main inherited risk factors for AML, including a rare familial subtype.
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Risk Factors for Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Risk factors are anything that impacts the likelihood that you will develop a particular condition. Having a risk factor does not mean you will develop that disease. Not having a risk factor also doesn’t mean you won’t get the disease.
Not all risk factors are made equal—some have a more significant impact on your risk of developing a condition than others. Some you can control (like smoking), while others are out of your grasp.
Cancer develops when genes mutate within a specific cell over a person’s lifetime, but genetics only plays a role in that mutation developing some of the time. Mutations in cancer cells that occur during your lifetime can’t be passed down—they are not present in the eggs and sperm that give your genes to your biological children.
Family history is a way of saying that a close relative has had the disease. A family history of a specific disease could mean that a sibling or parent has or had it. Having a family history of AML does increase your risk of developing it.
The family history factor could be due to various genetic changes that don’t directly cause AML but lead to increased risk. It could be due to shared environmental factors from living in a certain area or having a certain lifestyle.
Some of the most important risk factors for AML are:
Other Inherited Genetic Disorders
Several genetic conditions may increase the risk of AML, but they only play a small part in the number of patients diagnosed with this cancer every year — they are all quite rare. They include:
Some of the most significant risk factors for developing AML are your lifestyle and lifetime exposure to chemicals. These include:
Exposure to Lower Levels of RadiationWhether and how much exposure to lower levels of radiation such as through diagnostic X-rays or computed tomography (CT) scans increases the risk of leukemia is still undefined.But healthcare professionals take care not to expose children or people who are pregnant unnecessarily.
Exposure to Lower Levels of Radiation
Whether and how much exposure to lower levels of radiation such as through diagnostic X-rays or computed tomography (CT) scans increases the risk of leukemia is still undefined.But healthcare professionals take care not to expose children or people who are pregnant unnecessarily.
What Is Familial AML?
One rare subtype of AML is due to an inherited genetic mutation in the gene CEBPA. The mutated CEBPA gene passes from parent to child and can cause a type of AML called familial acute myeloid leukemia.
The broken gene passes from parent to child through a dominant, non-sex-linked chromosome. So, if you have this mutation, you’ll have an increased risk of developing AML, and you will pass this risk on to your children. Luckily, only a few families harbor this extremely rare genetic mutation.
The familial subtype of AML leads to:
This subtype of AML usually presents earlier in life than others, sometimes as early as childhood. Prognosis with familial AML is slightly better than AML as a whole.
About 50%–65% of those diagnosed with familial AML survive, while only 25%–40% ofAML patients survive.However, familial AML is more likely to recur after successful treatment.
If you or a family member is diagnosed with AML, you can be assured it is unlikely to be hereditary. However, you or your family will still need to come together to support the patient—many treatments for AML, including stem cell transplants, require support from others.
If your AML is linked to a hereditary syndrome, ask your doctor about any other conditions you need to be aware of. Some hereditary leukemias can also increase your risk for other cancers, so vigilant care and regular screenings are important.
Talk to your doctor about your syndrome and discuss with a genetic counselor the implications for other family members and your risk of recurrence after successful treatment.
Summary
AML is deadly cancer that most people develop due to random mutations or environmental exposures. In some rare cases, your risk for developing AML may be hereditary due to a genetic mutation or an underlying genetic syndrome.
A Word From Verywell
When you develop a disease like AML, which often comes with a poor prognosis, it can be devastating to think that you may have passed on the risk to your family members.
Unless your doctor mentions specific genetic conditions or familial subtypes of AML, it’s unlikely that you’ve inherited the disease or will pass it on. However, talk to a genetic counselor if you’re worried your children might be at risk of developing AML.
Frequently Asked QuestionsPeople most at risk of developing AML are those who are older and who are male. Certain environmental and lifestyle factors and various health conditions can put you at an increased risk of developing AML as well.Five risk factors for leukemia are:AgeGenderSmoking historyChemical exposureMedical conditions, including previously undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatmentsLearn MoreCauses and Risk Factors of LeukemiaTriggers for AML include lifestyle and environmental factors (smoking, chemical, and radiation exposures) and genetic factors. Being older, male, and having certain blood or genetic disorders can also increase your risk of developing AML.Preventable risk factors for AML may include smoking, working with specific chemicals like benzene, and having had high levels of radiation exposure.
People most at risk of developing AML are those who are older and who are male. Certain environmental and lifestyle factors and various health conditions can put you at an increased risk of developing AML as well.
Five risk factors for leukemia are:AgeGenderSmoking historyChemical exposureMedical conditions, including previously undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatmentsLearn MoreCauses and Risk Factors of Leukemia
Five risk factors for leukemia are:AgeGenderSmoking historyChemical exposureMedical conditions, including previously undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments
Five risk factors for leukemia are:
Learn MoreCauses and Risk Factors of Leukemia
Triggers for AML include lifestyle and environmental factors (smoking, chemical, and radiation exposures) and genetic factors. Being older, male, and having certain blood or genetic disorders can also increase your risk of developing AML.
Preventable risk factors for AML may include smoking, working with specific chemicals like benzene, and having had high levels of radiation exposure.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Cancer Society.What is acute myeloid leukemia (AML)? | What is AML?. Updated August 21, 2018National Cancer Institute.Acute myeloid keukemia — cancer stat facts. Updated 2021.American Cancer Society.Risk factors for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Updated August 21, 2018.American Society of Clinical Oncology.Leukemia - acute myeloid - AML: Risk factors. Updated June 2017.MedlinePlus.Familial acute myeloid leukemia with mutated CEBPA. Updated July 1, 2015.Nickels EM, Soodalter J, Churpek JE, Godley LA.Recognizing familial myeloid leukemia in adults.Ther Adv Hematol. 2013;4(4):254-269. doi:10.1177/2040620713487399
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Cancer Society.What is acute myeloid leukemia (AML)? | What is AML?. Updated August 21, 2018National Cancer Institute.Acute myeloid keukemia — cancer stat facts. Updated 2021.American Cancer Society.Risk factors for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Updated August 21, 2018.American Society of Clinical Oncology.Leukemia - acute myeloid - AML: Risk factors. Updated June 2017.MedlinePlus.Familial acute myeloid leukemia with mutated CEBPA. Updated July 1, 2015.Nickels EM, Soodalter J, Churpek JE, Godley LA.Recognizing familial myeloid leukemia in adults.Ther Adv Hematol. 2013;4(4):254-269. doi:10.1177/2040620713487399
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Cancer Society.What is acute myeloid leukemia (AML)? | What is AML?. Updated August 21, 2018National Cancer Institute.Acute myeloid keukemia — cancer stat facts. Updated 2021.American Cancer Society.Risk factors for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Updated August 21, 2018.American Society of Clinical Oncology.Leukemia - acute myeloid - AML: Risk factors. Updated June 2017.MedlinePlus.Familial acute myeloid leukemia with mutated CEBPA. Updated July 1, 2015.Nickels EM, Soodalter J, Churpek JE, Godley LA.Recognizing familial myeloid leukemia in adults.Ther Adv Hematol. 2013;4(4):254-269. doi:10.1177/2040620713487399
American Cancer Society.What is acute myeloid leukemia (AML)? | What is AML?. Updated August 21, 2018
National Cancer Institute.Acute myeloid keukemia — cancer stat facts. Updated 2021.
American Cancer Society.Risk factors for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Updated August 21, 2018.
American Society of Clinical Oncology.Leukemia - acute myeloid - AML: Risk factors. Updated June 2017.
MedlinePlus.Familial acute myeloid leukemia with mutated CEBPA. Updated July 1, 2015.
Nickels EM, Soodalter J, Churpek JE, Godley LA.Recognizing familial myeloid leukemia in adults.Ther Adv Hematol. 2013;4(4):254-269. doi:10.1177/2040620713487399
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