Birth defects and leukemia risk in children with Down syndrome: A registry linkage study

This large study of 26,660 children with Down syndrome found that while 71.9% had major birth defects (mostly cardiac), these defects did not substantially increase leukemia risk overall, unlike in the general pediatric population. Specific exceptions included anophthalmia/microphthalmia associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and tetralogy of Fallot associated with acute myeloid leukemia.