September is Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month

In the United States each year, some 54,000 people are diagnosed with Non Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) and 7,000 are diagnosed Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL). It is the most common type of blood cancer in the US. The European Union sees over 50,000 cases of NHL every year.

New research suggests that a protein normally credited as a tumor suppressor may actually fuel an aggressive type of cancer, known as acute myeloid leukemia.

The protein, RUNX1, is a transcription factor, meaning it binds to certain DNA sequences and controls which genes are turned on or off. A team of researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center found that blocking the protein, which plays an important role in regulating the development of blood cells, stopped the development of leukemia cells.

"We got the opposite of what we expected," says lead researcher James Mulloy. "Taking away RUNX1 had very rapid, dramatic effects."

Acute myeloid leukemia is a rare but fast-moving type of cancer that typically affects older people and accounts for just more than 1 percent of all cancer-related deaths. It starts in cells that would normally become blood cells and promotes the rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells.

Because this type of cancer spreads so quickly, it typically requires prompt treatments including chemotherapy, radiation or bone marrow transplants. But those treatments can sometimes be risky and are not always effective, according to the study.

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