title: Epidemiology of childhood leukemia in Hokkaido, Japan.
abstract: The population-based epidemiological indices (crude incidence, survival rate, mortality, etc.) of childhood leukemia (0-14 years of age) from 1969 to 1993 in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, were calculated, using data obtained from the Registry of Childhood Malignancies in Hokkaido Prefecture. A total of 1,084 cases of leukemia were diagnosed in the 1969-93 period. The annual incidence of all types of leukemia from 1984 to 1993 was about 4 per 100,000 children aged 0-14 years, with the incidence of ANLL decreasing slightly and that of ALL increasing. The ratio of ALL/ANLL could similarly be seen to be increasing in all age groups. Out of a cohort of 100,000 live births, about 65 children developed leukemia by 14 years of age, and in this longitudinal observation the ratio of ALL/ANLL was increasing. The incidence of ALL and ANLL and the ratio of ALL/ANLL in Japanese children are approaching those of Caucasians. Approximately 80% of the ALL cases were of the LI type (FAB classification), and about 65% of these could be immunologically classified as "common" ALL. The 5-year survival rate of T- and B-cell ALL cases was 50% or less, while that of "common" ALL cases was about 80%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Sapporo Medical College, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyake
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimada
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D007938:Leukemia / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D012042:Registries