[Analysis on causes of death of childhood leukemia from 1981 to 2000 in the city of Tianjin].
OBJECTIVE
Leukemia is a major cause of death of children in China, which accounts for 50 % of all cancers of children. Data from Tianjin Cancer Hospital was analyzed for mortality of leukemia in children under 20 years from 1981 to 2000 in the city of Tianjin.


METHODS
All physicians and medical staff of the hospitals and clinics in the registry area were responsible for filling out the report forms for every new case diagnosed as malignant tumors. Death certificates for malignant tumors have been registered at the local police station and the residential files were checked. All cancer cases with insufficient information were traced to his/her family and relevant persons worked in the clinic. Tianjin Cancer Registry Center periodically conducted an active re-checking program to review all patient records on cancers that was not registered in this period. Tumors diagnosed in this study were coded according to the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O). Mortality rates were calculated by age, sex and date of death.


RESULTS
The types of acute lymphoid leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia were the most common types of childhood leukemia in Tianjin, comprised 69.3%, 20.9 % and 8.0%, respectively. The mortality for childhood leukemia decreased slowly during the period of 1981 to 2000 in Tianjin. Mortality and morbidity ratios were 0.51.


CONCLUSIONS
Combined with characteristics of individual forms of childhood leukemia mortality, further epidemiological research is needed to prevent childhood leukemia.
Chen
Ke-Xin
KX
Tianjin Cancer Institute & Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China.
Wu
Guang-Lin
GL
He
Min
M
Dong
Shu-Fen
SF
Wang
Ji-Fang
JF
Qian
Bi-Yuan
BY
D000293:Adolescent; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007938:Leukemia / Q000401:mortality*; D055815:Young Adult