Pre- and Post- birth Causes of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a malignancy of lymphoid progenitors in bone marrow, peripheral blood, and extra medullar, which accounts for 1/4 of childhood cancers.Objectives: Regarding the uncertainties of the exact causes of the disease and the importance of identifying risk factors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, this study aimed at investigating the causes of pre- and post - natal birth in children with ALL.Methods: This case - control study was performed on 156 patients with ALL and 85 patients without ALL in a 4 - year period in Ali Asghar, Shahid Faghihi, and Shahid Motahari Hospitals in Shiraz, Iran between January 2013 and March 2017. The student's t and Chi - square tests were used. To evaluate relationships between various variables, Pearson's or Spearman's correlation analyses were used. The data were analyzed, using the SPSS 16 software.Results: Based on the findings of this study, the presence of Dawn's syndrome and familial history of leukemia and brain tumors were identified as risk factors for the incidence of ALL in children. There was no significant relationship with the history of abortion, radiation exposure, economic status, place of residence, birth rate, etc.Conclusions: The results indicate that among pre-and post - birth causes, the presence of Down syndrome and familial history of leukemia and brain tumors were as risk factors for the incidence of ALL in children. Due to the fact that therapeutic protocols are useful for the treatment of ALL in children, the results of this study and similar studies can be effective in preventing and managing the disease in children.