Greaves and his team, who will present their findings at the American Society of Hematology meeting in San Francisco, hope their work will eventually lead to a vaccination that could prevent leukemia. Children up to the age of 15 have a one in 2,000 risk of developing the disease. The scientists screened the blood of 530 babies and found the non-inherited gene abnormality for leukemia in six infants. Scientists are not sure what causes the mutation, or error in the developing fetus, but they think it is due to a natural accident during development. The researchers are equally puzzled about the second trigger but suspect it could be exposure to chemicals, radiation or infections.
Scientific evidence seems to be pointing towards infection.
Dr David Grant, the scientific director of the Leukemia Research Fund, said the study will improve understanding of leukemia. Leukemia occurs most often in children aged three to four years old. In 80 percent of cases it is curable with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. Copyright 2000 Reuters . All rights reserved.