Leukaemia Risk Not Linked to Living Under Overhead Power Lines

Children living near overhead power lines don't have an increased risk of developing leukaemia, a new study revealed.

Data on 16,500 children who developed leukaemia in Britain between 1962 and 2008 was analysed.

Australian Researchers Discover Cell Receptor Behind Leukaemia
Australian researchers report discovery of a cell receptor that could be behind diseases like leukaemia. This could in turn become the springboard for development of new treatments.

The paper found no increased leukaemia risk for those living near power lines from the 1980s onwards - but a higher risk did exist in the 1960s and 70s, the BBC reported.

The researchers said the findings were "reassuring" but work was being done to understand the historical patterns.

This research, by the Childhood Cancer Research Group at the University of Oxford, used cancer information drawn from the National Registry of Childhood Tumours.

Survival in High-risk Childhood Leukaemia Patients Increased by Drug-Chemo Combination
Daily doses of a targeted drug called imatinib mesylate along with regular chemotherapy can almost double the survival rate of children with leukemia

The study, funded by Children with Cancer UK, included nearly 16,500 children born in Britain who were diagnosed with leukaemia between 1962 and 2008.

They were compared with around 20,000 children who were born in the same area who did not develop cancer.

Leukaemia Treatment may be Revolutionized by Enzyme Modification
A team of Canadian researchers have re-engineered a human enzyme to become highly resistant to harmful agents such as chemotherapy.

When the data for the whole period was analysed it showed no increased risk from living near power lines.

However, when the analysis was broken down into decades, an historic increased risk was seen for those born in the 1960s and 70s, who lived within about one-third of a mile (600m) of a power line.

Those born from the 1980s onwards did not have an increased risk.

Source-ANI