title: Epidemiology of childhood acute myeloid leukemia.
abstract: Although leukemia is the most common childhood cancer diagnosis, the subtype, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), is less common and fewer etiologic studies exist. This review summarizes the major risk factors for AML. We searched the literature using PubMed for articles on childhood AML and reviewed 180 articles. While few risk factors are definitive, we identified several with consistent evidence of a possible effect. Thorough analysis of genetic and epigenetic factors is missing from this literature and methodological issues are unresolved. Future studies should more closely examine causal mechanisms, improve exposure measurement, and include analysis using genetic and epigenetic factors.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Outcomes and Prevention Research, Sanford Research, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57104, USA. susan.puumala@sanfordhealth.org
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Puumala
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aplenc
authors.forename: Logan G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Spector
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001722:Birth Order; D001724:Birth Weight; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality; D008423:Maternal Age; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012307:Risk Factors