We identify two key phases in the origin of the most common childhood leukemia

From our Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, together with the University of Barcelona, we have made progress in understanding how B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, originates.

The study, published in Cell Reports, describes for the first time a two-phase model that explains the development of the disease. The first phase occurs before birth, when some cells present hyperdiploidy (an excess of chromosomes), an alteration that generates chromosomal instability and allows these cells to persist for years without causing symptoms.

The second phase takes place after birth, when still unknown factors, such as the immune response to common infections, may drive the malignant transformation of these pre-leukemic clones.

We point out that between both phases there may be a time window of several years, which opens new opportunities to better understand the origin of the disease and move towards prevention strategies in childhood leukemia.

This finding represents an important step toward unraveling the early mechanisms of pediatric cancer and reinforces our commitment to research to improve the diagnosis and treatment of the youngest patient

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