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It is "almost inevitable" that your blood will take the first steps towards leukaemia as you age, researchers show.
The cancer is often associated with children, but some types become more common with age.
The study, published in the journal Cell Reports, showed 70% of healthy people in their 90s had genetic errors that could lead to leukaemia.
The researchers warn that the number of cases could soar as life expectancy increases.
The team at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, outside Cambridge, analysed the blood of 4,219 people.
They focused on accurately testing for errors in the DNA that are linked to the blood cancers. If one blood cell in a hundred carried such a mutation they would pick it up.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31622341
The cancer is often associated with children, but some types become more common with age.
The study, published in the journal Cell Reports, showed 70% of healthy people in their 90s had genetic errors that could lead to leukaemia.
The researchers warn that the number of cases could soar as life expectancy increases.
The team at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, outside Cambridge, analysed the blood of 4,219 people.
They focused on accurately testing for errors in the DNA that are linked to the blood cancers. If one blood cell in a hundred carried such a mutation they would pick it up.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31622341