The incidence of various types of childhood leukemia in Armenia (1991-2002).
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the incidence of various types of childhood leukemia in Armenia for the period 1991-2002.


METHODS
The results presented in this communication were based on the official data obtained from the Center of Haematology, Yerevan, Armenia, where all patients with leukemia are diagnosed and treated. The types of leukemia were classified according to ICD-10; C91.0 - acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL), C91.1 - acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and C92.0 - chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).


RESULTS
There was a substantial prevalence of ALL among all cases (85.6%, mean value for 12 years). ALL varied from 74.4% in 1998 to 95.4% in 1992. The mean percentage of AML and CML were 12.3 and 2.1, respectively. The proportion of ALL/AML + CML in Armenian children varied from 20.5 in 1992 to 3.2 in 1998 with a mean value of 7.2. There was not any regularity in various leukemia types in children during the observed period of time.


CONCLUSIONS
No regularity in the incidence of various childhood leukemia types was revealed during 1991-2002. Like in most countries, a substantial prevalence of ALL incidence was observed.
Nersesyan
A K
AK
Laboratory of Carcinogenesis, Cancer Research Centre, Yerevan, Armenia.
Daghbashyan
S S
SS
Danielyan
S H
SH
Arutyunyan
R M
RM