The relationship between blood groups and acute myeloid leukemia

Aim: Acute myeloid leukemia is an aggressive disease caused by a heterogeneous clonal disorder of hematopoietic progenitor cells that normally lose their ability to respond to differentiation and proliferation regulators. The main purpose is to identify and prevent the causes of acute leukemia. Although the etiology of acute leukemia has been investigated for many years, the exact cause is still unknown. Both ABO and Rh blood group systems have been associated with a number of diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between AML and blood group types. Material and Method: Between February 2014 and February 2018 The blood types of 163 AML patients treated in Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Age, sex, and blood group data of healthy platelet donors were used as a control group. Results: The most common blood type in both men and women was A Rh-positive, no statistically significant difference was found between the control group and AML patients in terms of ABO blood group distribution. Rh positivity rate was similar between the patient group and healthy control group. Discussion: We found that there is no relation between AML and ABO and Rh blood groups. Although there are larger studies confirming the relationship between solid tumors and ABO blood groups, studies on hematologic malignancies are fewer. Cunclusion: A relationship between AML and ABO and Rh blood groups has not yet been clarified, more studies with more patients are needed.