Flu May Trigger Childhood Leukemia
Flu May Trigger Childhood Leukemia
Just Months After Flu Epidemics, Rare Leukemia Peaks in U.K.
During the period, there were two sharp upswings in ALL. One was in 1976. The other was in 1990. In both years -- just a few months before each of these peaks -- there were flu epidemics in the U.K. There were no other flu epidemics, and no similar ALL peaks, in any other year.
"We wonder whether there may be a cause-and-effect relationship here," Murphy says.
It's not an outlandish theory, says Hanna Khoury, MD, director of the leukemia program at Winship Cancer Center, Emory University, Atlanta.
Khoury notes that a virus called HTLV-1 directly causes a kind of leukemia. And Burkett's lymphoma can be triggered by reactivation of latent Epstein-Barr virus infection. Moreover, previous studies have shown a seasonal variation in ALL cases, with more cases seen in the winter months that include flu season.
"Do we know flu virus causes leukemia? No," Khoury says. "We don't know what causes ALL. ... But this study may open new investigations looking at the role viruses play, especially influenza virus."
Khoury notes that even if flu viruses do play a role in ALL, it's a rare event. Lots of kids get the flu every year. But only five out of every 100,000 children get ALL.
Flu May Trigger Childhood Leukemia
Just Months After Flu Epidemics, Rare Leukemia Peaks in U.K.
Flu Epidemics and Leukemia
During the period, there were two sharp upswings in ALL. One was in 1976. The other was in 1990. In both years -- just a few months before each of these peaks -- there were flu epidemics in the U.K. There were no other flu epidemics, and no similar ALL peaks, in any other year.
"We wonder whether there may be a cause-and-effect relationship here," Murphy says.
It's not an outlandish theory, says Hanna Khoury, MD, director of the leukemia program at Winship Cancer Center, Emory University, Atlanta.
Khoury notes that a virus called HTLV-1 directly causes a kind of leukemia. And Burkett's lymphoma can be triggered by reactivation of latent Epstein-Barr virus infection. Moreover, previous studies have shown a seasonal variation in ALL cases, with more cases seen in the winter months that include flu season.
"Do we know flu virus causes leukemia? No," Khoury says. "We don't know what causes ALL. ... But this study may open new investigations looking at the role viruses play, especially influenza virus."
Khoury notes that even if flu viruses do play a role in ALL, it's a rare event. Lots of kids get the flu every year. But only five out of every 100,000 children get ALL.
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