Survival from acute non-lymphocytic leukaemia (ANLL) and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in European children since 1978: a population-based study.
We used data supplied by population-based cancer registries, collected and quality controlled using a common protocol, to analyse survival from acute non-lymphocytic leukaemia (ANLL) and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) among children in 17 European countries. Variations in survival in relation to age, country, histologic subtype and period of diagnosis (1978--1992) were examined. These are rare malignancies and survival can be studied reliably only by examination of data from a very large population (in this case EUROCARE). 5 years after diagnosis, overall survival was 44% (95% CI 33--55) for CML and 37% (95% CI 32--43) for ANLL. For both types of leukaemia, survival was slightly better for girls and worse in children under 5 years of age. Consistent with clinical literature, the ANLL subtypes with poorer prognosis were monocytic, megakaryocytic and erythroleukaemia. For ANLL, 5-year survival was better in Finland, the UK, The Netherlands and Germany (> or =40%); for CML, 5-year survival was highest in Italy, although the 95% CI were wide. The risk of death from ANLL and CML fell by 7% per year and 5% per year, respectively, after adjustment for age, gender and country. Since these rare childhood malignancies were virtually untreatable until 1970, these are very welcome trends.
Gatta
G
G
Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura e dei Tumori, Divisione di Epidemiologia, Via Venezian,1, 20133 Milan, Italy. gatta@anprisc.anapat.istitutotumori.mi.it
Luksch
R
R
Coleman
M P
MP
Corazziari
I
I
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000401:mortality*; D011379:Prognosis; D012042:Registries; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D013997:Time Factors