Clonal hematopoiesis and blood-cancer risk inferred from blood DNA sequence

Researchers analyzed blood DNA, the genetic material in blood cells, from 12,380 adults who did not have a known cancer. They looked for acquired mutations, meaning DNA changes that developed during life, in genes linked to blood cancers. These changes were found in 834 people, or about 1 in 15, and were more common with older age. People with these changes had about 11 times the risk of developing a blood cancer during follow-up. They also had a roughly 40% higher risk of dying from any cause, although this study could not prove the mutations caused those outcomes.

What this means for you: This study helps explain why blood-cancer risk rises with age, but it does not show that testing everyone or buying a treatment will prevent cancer. Most people with these blood-cell changes do not necessarily develop blood cancer, and the findings are mainly useful for researchers and doctors interpreting specialized tests.