Video: Risk Factors for Leukemia

Doctors use special tests to look for abnormal chromosomes and genes that can predict the progression of a patient’s leukemia and response to treatment, says medical oncologist Ross Levine of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Exposure to high levels of radiation and certain chemicals are the only known risk factors for leukemia. Memorial Sloan-Kettering is working to identify genes that can provide additional relevant clinical information and help to select the most-effective treatment.