Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Leukemia is the most common cancer in children, accounting for almost 1 out of 3 cancers. This is also true in children with Down syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality caused by a third copy of chromosome 21. In particular, children with Down syndrome have a 150-fold increased risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia during the first years of their childhood. In fact, the first mutation occurs in the gene GATA1 during the development of the fetus at pregnancy.