What causes chronic myeloid leukaemia?

Although the cause of chronic myeloid leukaemia is unknown, research is going on all the time to try to find the cause.

People who have been exposed to large doses of radiation (such as after the atom bomb) or radiotherapy for cancer treatment have sometimes developed leukaemia, many years later.

People who have been exposed to a chemical called benzene for a long time – for example, in their work – have a higher risk of developing CML. Benzene is one of the chemicals in petrol and is also used in the rubber industry.

Chronic myeloid leukaemia, like other cancers, is not infectious and cannot be passed on to other people.

Most people with CML are found to have an abnormal chromosome called the Philadelphia chromosome. The Philadelphia chromosome is not an inherited fault that can be passed on from one generation to the next. However, it causes the production of a particular enzyme called tyrosine kinase which leads to the development of CML.