Inherited risk factors increase odds of developing childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have identified inherited variations in two genes that account for 37 percent of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), including a gene that may help predict drug response. The findings stem from the first complete search of the human genetic blueprint or genome to look for inherited risk factors for ALL, the most common childhood cancer. Published in the 16 August issue of Nature Genetics, the work offers the first proof based on a complete survey of the human genome that inheritance plays a role in childhood ALL...

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