Who gets leukemia?

Anyone but rarely: Leukemia, although frightening, is a rare disease. Outside of children, many adults do die from the acute disease although this is not the case with the chronic leukemias. Although there are a few things that may increase the chance of getting leukemia (high doses of radiation, previous treatment of cancer, down's syndrome, some chemicals), no cause can be found in most cases.

See below: Leukemia can occur at any age. Environmental risk factors for developing leukemia include exposure to radiation, chemotherapy, certain chemicals (benzene), and decreased immune system. There are disorders that you can be born with that increase leukemic risk. Down syndrome and other genetic syndromes can increase the risk.

Anyone...: can get leukemia. Rarely some individuals might inherit a familial disposition, and a few occupational exposures may increase risk (radiation or benzene exposure). More often it occurs from a series of random mutations that happens by bad luck in a single bone marrow stem cell. These mutations causes it to increase in number dramatically, pushing out healthy cells, but leaves them under developed.