Smokers father Cause Leukemia Risk in Children

News Health Articles - Smokers father Cause Leukemia Risk in Children. One more reason why smokers need to stop the habit. In one study, found that children whose fathers smoked had 15 percent higher risk of developing cancer is most common among children namely leukemia or blood cancer.

The team of researchers led by Dr. Elizabeth Milne at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Australia, surveyed nearly 400 families with children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia or acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).



Although acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common childhood cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute cancer of this type is comparatively rare for assaulting about 3 - 5 children out of every 100,000 children. More than 1,000 children died from the disease each year.

Dr. Milne and colleagues compared these families with more than 800 families with children the same age but did not suffer from leukemia. Researchers found that maternal smoking had no effect on children's risk for esophageal cancer.

But in children whose fathers smoked at the time of conception has about 15 percent higher possibility of developing leukemia. The children whose fathers smoked at least 20 cigarettes per day 44 percent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer.

Increased risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia by 15 percent would increase the number of cases in children each year, from 6 children among every 200,000 people become children 7 children than 200,000 children.

"These findings make sense. Cigarettes are full of toxins, including carcinogens, making it impossible smokers will not suffer damage to the cells that produce sperm," said Patricia Buffler, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley who was not involved in this research.

"Sperm DNA damage can still reach and fertilize the egg, so that can cause disease in the offspring," said Dr.. Milne as reported by FoxNews, Friday (16/12/2011).

However, this study does not prove that smoking was the only cause of DNA damage in sperm and are responsible for the increased risk of cancer in children.

According to Dr. Milne, there are many factors that cause acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and these findings are only found an association with one of the factors that may contribute.

He also added that the findings are not meant to make parents feel guilty. Several other environmental factors are also associated with the likelihood of children stricken with leukemia, including ionizing radiation such as X-rays and exposure to paint or pesticides during pregnancy.