title: International long-term trends and recent patterns in the incidence of leukemias and lymphomas among children and adolescents ages 0-19 years.
abstract: To enhance understanding of etiology, we examined international population-based cancer incidence data for lymphoid leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloid leukemia among children aged 0-19. Based on temporal trends during 1978-2007 in 24 populations, lymphoid leukemia and myeloid leukemia incidence rates generally have not changed greatly and differences in rates for non-Hodgkin and for Hodgkin lymphoma have diminished in some regions. Lymphoid leukemia rates during 2003-2007 in 54 populations varied about 10-fold, with rates highest in US white Hispanics (50.2 per million person-years) and Ecuador (48.3) and lowest in US blacks (20.4), Tunisia (17.7) and Uganda (6.9). Non-Hodgkin lymphoma rates varied 30-fold, with very high rates in sub-Saharan Africa (146.0 in Malawi and 54.3 in Uganda) and low rates (≤ 10) in some Asian populations (China, Japan, India, the Philippines and Thailand) and U.S. Asian-Pacific Islanders, eastern and northern European populations and Puerto Rico. Hodgkin lymphoma rates varied 15-fold, with rates highest in Italy (21.3) and lowest in China (1.7). Myeloid leukemia rates varied only about fivefold, with rates highest in the Philippines and Korea (exceeding 14.0) and lowest in Eastern Europe (5.9 in Serbia and 5.3 in the Czech Republic) and Uganda (2.7). The boy/girl average incidence rate ratios were 2.00 or lower. Age-specific patterns differed among the four hematopoietic malignancies, but were generally consistent within major categories world-wide, except for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A systematic world-wide approach comparing postulated etiologic factors in low- versus high-risk populations may help clarify the etiology of these childhood malignancies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778 USA.
authors.forename: Martha S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Linet
authors.affiliation: RTI International, Rockville, MD.
authors.forename: Linda M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778 USA.
authors.forename: Sam M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mbulaiteye
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778 USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Check
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778 USA.
authors.forename: Evgenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ostroumova
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778 USA.
authors.forename: Annelie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Landgren
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778 USA.
authors.forename: Susan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Devesa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007938:Leukemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D012042:Registries; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Hodgkin lymphoma; childhood; incidence; lymphoid leukemia; myeloid leukemia; non-Hodgkin lymphoma; trends