<p style="text-align:start">Children of Hispanic/Latino origin are 30-40% more likely to get Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) than non-Hispanic white children. However, the exact genetic basis and cause of that increased risk are unknown. Now researchers have revealed a key genetic variant contributing towards the increased risk, as well as details about the biological basis of ALL. The research team focused on the <em>IKZF1 </em>gene, known to relate to ALL but never before linked with ethnic risk disparities. Using genetic fine-mapping analysis, they independently analyzed each position along the gene—known as a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)—to determine whether having a certain variant increased ALL risk. They found three independent SNPs linked to higher ALL incidence, one of which was present in about 30% of people of Hispanic/Latino origin in the U.S. and less than 1% of people
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer, disproportionately affects children of Hispanic/Latino origin in the United States.
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