Etiology of common childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: the adrenal hypothesis

K. Schmiegelow; T. Vestergaard; S.M. Nielsen; H. Hjalgrim

Etiology of common childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: the adrenal hypothesis

K. Schmiegelow, T. Vestergaard, S.M. Nielsen, H. Hjalgrim

51 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The pattern of infections in the first years of life modulates our immune system, and a low incidence of infections has been linked to an increased risk of common childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We here present a new interpretation of these observations--the adrenal hypothesis--that proposes that the risk of childhood ALL is reduced when early childhood infections induce qualitative and quantitative changes in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis that increase plasma cortisol levels. This may directly eliminate leukemic cells as well as preleukemic cells for the ALL subsets that dominate in the first 5-7 years of life and may furthermore suppress the Th1-dominated proinflammatory response to infections, and thus lower the proliferative stress on pre-existing preleukemic cells
Udgivelsesdato: 2008/12

Original language	English
Journal	Leukemia
Volume	22
Issue number	12
Pages (from-to)	2137-2141
Number of pages	4
ISSN	0887-6924
Publication status	Published - 2008

Cite this

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title = "Etiology of common childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: the adrenal hypothesis",

abstract = "The pattern of infections in the first years of life modulates our immune system, and a low incidence of infections has been linked to an increased risk of common childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We here present a new interpretation of these observations--the adrenal hypothesis--that proposes that the risk of childhood ALL is reduced when early childhood infections induce qualitative and quantitative changes in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis that increase plasma cortisol levels. This may directly eliminate leukemic cells as well as preleukemic cells for the ALL subsets that dominate in the first 5-7 years of life and may furthermore suppress the Th1-dominated proinflammatory response to infections, and thus lower the proliferative stress on pre-existing preleukemic cells Udgivelsesdato: 2008/12",

author = "K. Schmiegelow and T. Vestergaard and S.M. Nielsen and H. Hjalgrim",

year = "2008",

language = "English",

volume = "22",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Etiology of common childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: the adrenal hypothesis

AU - Schmiegelow, K.

AU - Vestergaard, T.

AU - Nielsen, S.M.

AU - Hjalgrim, H.

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - The pattern of infections in the first years of life modulates our immune system, and a low incidence of infections has been linked to an increased risk of common childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We here present a new interpretation of these observations--the adrenal hypothesis--that proposes that the risk of childhood ALL is reduced when early childhood infections induce qualitative and quantitative changes in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis that increase plasma cortisol levels. This may directly eliminate leukemic cells as well as preleukemic cells for the ALL subsets that dominate in the first 5-7 years of life and may furthermore suppress the Th1-dominated proinflammatory response to infections, and thus lower the proliferative stress on pre-existing preleukemic cells Udgivelsesdato: 2008/12

AB - The pattern of infections in the first years of life modulates our immune system, and a low incidence of infections has been linked to an increased risk of common childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We here present a new interpretation of these observations--the adrenal hypothesis--that proposes that the risk of childhood ALL is reduced when early childhood infections induce qualitative and quantitative changes in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis that increase plasma cortisol levels. This may directly eliminate leukemic cells as well as preleukemic cells for the ALL subsets that dominate in the first 5-7 years of life and may furthermore suppress the Th1-dominated proinflammatory response to infections, and thus lower the proliferative stress on pre-existing preleukemic cells Udgivelsesdato: 2008/12

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0887-6924

VL - 22

SP - 2137

EP - 2141

JO - Leukemia

JF - Leukemia

IS - 12

ER -