INCIDENCE OF CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA IN SWEDEN 1975‐1980

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
During the 6-yr period 1975-1980, leukemia was diagnosed in 466 children in Sweden, giving an estimated incidence of 4.4/100,000 children per year (0-15 yr at diagnosis). The incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was 3.7, of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) 0.6 and of chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) 0.1/100,000 children per yr. The overall incidence among boys was 4.5/100,000 per year and among girls 4.2. The male:female ratio was 1.13. This ratio was 1.22 in ALL and 0.71 in ANLL. Fifty percent of the children were below 5 yr of age at diagnosis, with a pronounced peak between 2-3 yr, which was explained by the ALL distribution. In children with acute leukemia 13% had white blood cell values of > 100 .times. 109/l, 4% had CNS leukemia and 10% had a mediastinal mass at diagnosis. The geographical distribution of leukemia in Sweden was analyzed in a search for clusters of cases.