Does down syndrome increase your risk for leukemia?

Yes: Down syndrome unfortunately leads to an increased risk of acute myeloid (especially megakaryocytic) and acute lymphocytic leukemias. The risk of acute leukemia in the first 5 years of life is 56x higher than non-downs kids and overall, 1 in 150 downs patients develop leukemia.

Yes: Cancers of the blood, such as leukemia, are more common in people who have down's syndrome. Specifically, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (all) is 10 times more common, and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is 50 times m ore common.

Yes: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is 20 times more common than the general population. There is an abnormality in a protein PRC-2 which contributes to the development of ALL.