Around 80 new cases of childhood AML are diagnosed every year in the UK, which accounts for over 15% of children’s leukaemia cancer cases.
Incidence varies with age. The highest risk is in children aged less than two years; the risk in children aged two to nine years is lower and it then rises through the adolescent years.
More boys than girls develop AML, by a ratio of 5:4. The reason for this difference between the sexes is not known.