Effects of Lifestyle and Environmental Factors on the Risk of Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Result of a Hospital-based Case-Control Study

Abstract

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a common malignancy in adults. A vast variety of environmental and lifestyle factors play a role in AML incidence. This study aimed to assess the factors related to AML. Study design: A case-control study. Methods: This case-control study was performed on 137 AML cases during 2018-2021 at Beheshti Hospital in Hamadan, Iran, and 137 gender/age-matched controls. A questionnaire including 12 items was used to obtain information about lifestyle and environmental factors. A univariate and multiple variate logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (OR), and a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to investigate the relationship between the studied variables and the incidence of AML. Results: Based on findings, 62 (45.3%) out of the 137 leukemic cases were male and 75 (4.7%) were females. A statistically significant increased risk for AML was found with regard to prior usage of cytotoxic agents (OR: 8.00, 95% CI: 1.01, 63.9, P=0.050), family history of malignancies (OR: 3.62, 95% CI: 1.65, 7.92, P=0.001), exposure to electrical power (OR: 3.22, 95% CI: 1.52, 6.81, P=0.002), and history of mental diseases (OR: 8.50, 95% CI: 3.64, 19.80, P=0.001). It was found that the AML incidence had no association with age, gender, radiation therapy, cigarette smoking, prior chemotherapy, congenital disorders, exposure to chemical agents, history of infectious mononucleosis, exercise, and blood transfusion (P>0.05). Conclusion: The current results suggested that cytotoxic agents, family history of malignancy, mental disorders, and exposure to electrical power could play a role in AML incidence.

Different Mechanisms of Cancer Drug Resistance: A Brief Review

“…Expanding information about drug resistance mechanisms could be effective in designing strategies to overcome drug resistance for producing new drugs with less resistance. Some of the information obtained about drug resistance reveals new mechanisms that are related to the distribution of drugs in the body, and this information may be helpful in improving the distribution of drugs in different patients (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22).…”

Transcription factor genetics and biology in predisposition to bone marrow failure and hematological malignancy

“…Epidemiologic studies have established that the incidence of leukemia may be influenced by a combination of germline abnormalities and environmental risk factors including lifestyle choices (i.e., smoking and obesity) ( 225 ), environmental exposures (i.e., cytotoxic agents and electrical power) ( 225 , 226 ), medical history (i.e., regular aspirin use) ( 227 ), and other chemical and biological agents (i.e., radiation, retroviruses) ( 228 ). For example, the broad range of GATA2 deficiency syndrome phenotypes and penetrance implicate the involvement of environmental stressors that increase the likelihood of developing particular phenotypes ( 229 ).…”

The First Insight into the Epigenetic Fusion Gene Landscape of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

“…Even though 15-20% of AML cases were diagnosed in children, acute AML incidence was mainly observed in patients over 60 years, and the median age at diagnosis was 70 years old 1 . Environmental factors, including smoking, benzene exposure, and chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment, increased the risk of developing AML 2,3 . Aging and environmental factors promote somatic genomic abnormalities such as deletions and translocation, resulting in and aggrandizing the cell’s malignant growth 4 .…”