Survival in adult leukaemia

The evaluation of treatment and outcome in adult leukaemia requires unselected data. Such data is available from one Health Region in the United Kingdom with an adult population of 3.1 million. In the period July 1982 to December 1989, 676 cases of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), 136 of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and 141 of chronic granulocytic leukaemia (CGL) were registered. The median survival for AML was 21 weeks and 26% of these patients died within 4 weeks of diagnosis. For ALL, the corresponding figures were 81 weeks and 21%. In CGL, the median survival was significantly different for males and females: 113 weeks and 173 weeks respectively. The 5-year survival in AML was 9%, in ALL, 31% and in CGL, 29% (20% for males, 45% for females). Age at presentation was the single most powerful prognostic factor and probably accounts for survival differences between patients referred to tertiary centres and those treated in district general hospitals. (DGH). Survival may be improving overall as supportive care improves.