Genetic susceptibility to chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common adult leukemia in the West and is an incurable malignancy. No firmly established evidence exists for environmental risk factors in the etiology of CLL. However, CLL is estimated to have one of the highest familial risks for a hematologic malignancy; this along with other evidence strongly supports an inherited genetic component. In the past 5 years, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have provided the foundation for new avenues in the investigation of pathogenesis of this disease with 22 susceptibility loci currently identified. We review here the advances made in identifying these loci, the potential to translate these findings into clinical practice, and future directions needed to advance our understanding of the genetic susceptibility of CLL.
Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Electronic address: slager@mayo.edu.
Susan L
SL
Slager
Neil E
NE
Caporaso
Silvia
S
de Sanjose
Lynn R
LR
Goldin
D008040:Genetic Linkage; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors