Risks and causes of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)

Age

AML is more common in older people. The risk of AML increases from around 50 years and is greatest in those aged between 85 and 89 years.

Smoking

Smoking cigarettes can increase your risk of developing AML. There is benzene in cigarette smoke and this is likely to be a significant cause.

The risk of AML increases with the more cigarettes you smoke daily and the number of years you smoke.

Find out about smoking and cancer

Ionising radiation

We’ve known for a long time that exposure to high energy (ionising) radiation increases acute leukaemia risk. AML is one type of acute leukaemia.

For example, people who have had radiotherapy for cancer have an increased risk of acute leukaemia. This is because radiotherapy exposes you to a higher than normal level of radiation. But this risk is very small compared to the risk to your health of not treating the cancer.

Exposure to benzene at work

Exposure to the chemical benzene at work over a long time increases the risk of developing acute leukaemia. Workplaces where exposure is possible include:

• oil refineries

• chemical and petrochemical plants

• pharmaceutical industry

• rubber industry

• shoe production

• printing industry

In the UK, employers in these industries are required to prevent or control exposure to benzene as much as possible. 

Read more about benzene at the GOV.UK website

Inherited conditions

Certain rare, inherited conditions can increase the risk of developing acute myeloid leukaemia. Some of these include:

• Fanconi anaemia

• Bloom syndrome

• Li Fraumeni syndrome

Children with Down’s syndrome are more likely to get acute myeloid leukaemia than other children.

Past chemotherapy

People who have had treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma or breast cancer with particular chemotherapy drugs (such as chlorambucil, melphalan or cyclophosphamide) have a slightly increased risk of developing blood changes. These changes can lead to AML many years later. The amount of risk depends on how much treatment you had.

In the 10 years after treatment, survivors of childhood cancer have a higher risk of developing leukaemia than other people. But it is important to remember that this risk is still small compared to the risk to their health if the cancer wasn't treated. The risk also gets lower as time passes since the treatment.

Blood disorders

Some types of blood disorder make you more likely to get leukaemia than people without those blood disorders. These include

• myelodysplastic syndrome

• myeloproliferative neoplasms such as polycythaemia rubra vera (PCV) and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)

• chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) 

People with these disorders still only have a small risk of developing AML.

Find out more about these other conditions

Autoimmune conditions

Autoimmune disorders are diseases caused by the body producing an immune response against its own tissues. Research has found that people with particular immune disorders have an increased risk of AML. 

The conditions include

• rheumatoid arthritis

• autoimmune haemolytic anaemia

• ulcerative colitis

The amount that the risk increases depends on the condition you have. It is not known whether the increase in risk of AML is due to the autoimmune conditions or the drugs used to treat them.

Exposure to petrol

Petrol (gasoline) is a fuel that is used to help power combustion engines such as in cars, motorbikes and petrol powered tools.

There is a risk to people who work with petrol over a long time of developing acute myeloid leukaemia. This risk is through breathing in petrol fumes during their job or it coming into contact with their skin.

People at increased risk include:

• petrol refinery workers

• people who transport and deliver petrol

• people who help put petrol in vehicles (petrol station attendants)

• mechanics

Most people won’t be exposed to petrol at high enough levels or for long enough to increase their cancer risk. For example, the risk is very small for tasks like filling your car with petrol. This risk might increase slightly over time if you are using petrol, such as petrol powered tools in a poorly aired area such as an enclosed garage.

Are there other causes?

Stories about possible cancer causes are often in the media and it can be hard to know what’s true and what’s not. You may have heard of something that isn’t included here. This is because we only include a risk factor in this information if it is supported by good quality evidence.

Find out about common cancer myths and questions on the causes of cancer