Infection, immune responses and the aetiology of childhood leukaemia.
Childhood leukaemia is the principal subtype of paediatric cancer and, despite success in treatment, its causes remain enigmatic. A plethora of candidate environmental exposures have been proposed, but most lack a biological rationale or consistent epidemiological evidence. Although there might not be a single or exclusive cause, an abnormal immune response to common infection(s) has emerged as a plausible aetiological mechanism.
The Institute of Cancer Research, Chester Beatty Laboratories, 237 Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, United Kingdom. mel.greaves@icr.ac.uk
Mel
M
Greaves
D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007239:Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D007938:Leukemia / Q000209:etiology*