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What are the risk factors for acute myeloid leukemia (AML)?

Risk factors for acute myeloid leukemia (AML)? A risk factor is something that affects your chance of getting a disease, such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. Some risk factors, like smoking, can be changed. Others, like a person’s age or family history, can’t be changed. But having a risk factor, or even several risk factors does not always mean that a person will get the disease, and many people get cancer without having any known risk factors. There are some known risk factors for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Increasing age: The risk of acute myelogenous leukemia increases with age. Acute myelogenous leukemia is most common in adults age 65 and older. Your sex: Men are more likely to develop acute myelogenous leukemia than are women. Previous cancer treatment: People who’ve had certain types of chemotherapy and radiation therapy may have a greater risk of developing AML. Exposure to radiation: People exposed to very high levels of radiation, such as sur...