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Review

Nature Reviews Cancer 6, 193–203 (1 March 2006) | doi:10.1038/nrc1816

Infection, immune responses and the aetiology of childhood leukaemia

Mel Greaves

Childhood leukaemia is the principal subtype of paediatric cancer and, despite success in treatment, its causes remain enigmatic. A plethora of candidate environmental exposures have been proposed, but most lack a biological rationale or consistent epidemiological evidence. Although there might not be a single or exclusive cause, an abnormal immune response to common infection(s) has emerged as a plausible aetiological mechanism.