Genetic predisposition to acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Overview on behalf of the I-BFM ALL Host Genetic Variation Working Group

Environmental causes of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remain largely undiscovered. In contrast, multiple germline ALL risk variants have been identified in the recent years. Apart from the low-risk common ALL risk alleles identified through genome wide association studies, rare germline mutations that cause cancer prone syndromes have been found to be associated with an increased risk of developing ALL. Here, we review the germline genetic changes known to be associated with ALL.