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Swedes have found new types of blood cancers
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
In Sweden, specialists have discovered two new types of blood cancer that develop in children during research. The specialists studied cancer cells in children with leukemia (more than 200 children took part in the study) and used a new technology – sequencing – to better study the genome of the newly discovered atypical cells.
The most common form of cancer in children is acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which is now quite successfully treated, but the child's body is subjected to significant interventions and there is a high risk of developing severe side effects. Specialists need to differentiate between the different types of this disease in order to prescribe treatment taking into account the severity of the disease in each individual case, and this will also help identify possible cases of relapse.
Like other forms of cancer, childhood leukemia is caused by gene mutations that occur in healthy cells, turning them into abnormal ones.
Identifying critical changes in healthy cells that cause cancer is essential for understanding the mechanism of disease development and developing effective treatments. In their work, the scientists used a new research method – sequencing, thanks to which they were able to study the changes that occur in cancerous blood cells well, and as a result, they identified new types of blood cancer.
One of the new types of cancer develops when the inactive DUX4 gene is activated, the second resembles a previously known form of childhood leukemia in its symptoms, only the cause of the disease is completely different genetic mutations occurring in blood cells.
In earlier studies of childhood blood cancers, scientists identified 6 main forms of childhood leukemia, new types of blood cancer occur in 10% of cases. The researchers themselves noted that the work was intense and lengthy, and it would have been difficult to achieve significant results without the help of specialists from other research institutes in Sweden and Germany. Experts suggest that the work was not in vain and the results of the study will help not only improve diagnostic methods for the disease, but also develop new methods for treating various forms of blood cancer in children.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a malignant disease of the hematopoietic system. During the development of the disease, immature lymphoid cells begin to multiply uncontrollably (these cells are the precursors of lymphocytes - the main cells of our immune system). The disease occurs in childhood and adolescence, but most often the disease develops in children from 1 to 6 years old.
The development of the disease is accompanied by damage to the lymph nodes, bone marrow and some internal organs.
The causes of the disease have not yet been precisely determined, but some experts believe that one of the factors may be infectious diseases suffered in infancy, as well as the effects of various mutagens on the mother's body during pregnancy (X-rays, radiation therapy, viruses, taking certain medications). A link between the development of the disease and congenital chromosomal abnormalities has also been confirmed.
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