Can Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Be Prevented?
It’s not clear what causes most cases of ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia, also known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia). Since most people with ALL don’t have risk factors that can be changed, there is no known way to prevent most cases of ALL.
Treating some other cancers with chemotherapy or radiation may cause secondary (treatment-related) leukemias years later in some people.
Doctors are trying to figure out how to treat these cancers without raising the risk of secondary leukemia. But for now, the obvious benefits of treating life-threatening cancers with chemotherapy and radiation must be balanced against the small chance of getting leukemia years later.
Avoiding known cancer-causing chemicals, such as benzene, might lower the risk of getting ALL. But most experts agree that exposure to workplace and environmental chemicals seems to account for only a small portion of leukemias.
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- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Appelbaum FR. Chapter 95: Acute Leukemias in Adults. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Doroshow JH, Kastan MB, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa. Elsevier: 2020.
National Cancer Institute. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version. 2025. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/leukemia/patient/adult-all-treatment-pdq on May 9, 2025.
Last Revised: August 13, 2025
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