The genetics of acute leukemia in children

Distribution of Abo Blood Groups in Childhood Acute Leukemia

“…Previous studies have reached to conflicting results on the distribution of blood groups in acute leukemias. Several previous studies on acute leukemias failed to demonstrate a significant difference in ABO blood group distribution between patients with acute leukemia and healthy subjects [13,14].…”

“…Various studies have reported conflicting results about the distribution of blood groups among patients with acute leukemia [8,[9][10][11][12][13][14]. Therefore, we opted to determine the distribution of ABO blood groups among a large number of children with ALL and AML in a multicenter study and compare it with that in normal subjects.…”

Again on Leukemia in Twins

“…Such a genetic predisposition has been referred to by Jackson et al, but has been denied, in general in the early Steinberg (1957), but without reference to X-rays as a possible, exciting factor. Without doubt the questions of the effect of X-rays and the possibility of a genetic predisposition to leukemia among twins need further clarification (Stewart a n d Barken, 1971).…”

Familial Neonatal Leukaemia

“…Amiotti (1953) found no increase in the incidence of malignant disease in the families of leukaemic children. Steinberg (1960) found no increase over the expected deaths from cancer in the families of 249 children with acute leukaemia and, after reviewing the literature, he concluded that there was, in general, no increased risk, but that, rarely, there might be a recessive inheritance. Morganti and Cresseri (1954) gave a detailed statistical analysis of the reports of familial leukaemia, and concluded that the published reports were so markedly selected that they gave an exaggerated impression of the familial character of leukaemia which was, in their opinion, a negligible factor in its aetiology.…”