Is acute lymphoid leukaemia (ALL) hereditary?

Q: Is there any relation between acute lymphoid leukaemia (ALL) with hereditary and bleeding disorders?

A:The cause of ALL is not known but a small percentage of cases are associated with inherited genetic syndromes. This is in contrast to the acute myeloid leukaemias where predisposing heredity states and preleukaemic conditions are well-defined. However, specific chromosomal changes (in number or structure) are seen in more than 90% of cases of ALL with a majority being translocations - BCR-ABL, E2A-PBX1, TEL-AML1 gene fusions, MLL gene rearrangements and hyperdiploidy. Genetic analysis is important so those patients with abnormalities associated with unfavourable prognoses are treated appropriately.There is no relation between ALL and a bleeding disorder except that patients of ALL often present with bleeding due to low platelet count.