The benzene-cancer connection

Leukemia is cancer that originates in the bone marrow, the soft, spongy inner portion of certain bones, and in which the malignant cells are white blood cells (leukocytes). Acute myelogenous leukemia is a malignancy that arises in either granulocytes or monocytes which are white blood cells that battle infectious agents throughout the body. Although the exact cause of AML is unknown, exposure to benzene and cigarettes smoking are linked to the disease. AML occurs in all ages but more often in older adults. With more than 10,000 new luekemia cases diagnosed annually, AML is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults.