Survival of children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 1977-82 in Connecticut

There was no evidence for an increase in survival among all all cases (N = 104) diagnosed between 1977-82 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at age less than 15 years and reported to the population-based Connecticut Tumor Registry (CTR). Hazard rates were consistently higher in males vs females during the second year after diagnosis, especially in males diagnosed after 1977-78. Registry data on prognostic factors, including white blood cell (WBC) count at diagnosis and Down's syndrome (DS), and initial treatment were used to interpret survival data by sex and year of diagnosis. A statistically significant sex difference in 4-year survival among cases diagnosed in 1979-80 was related to an unusually high survival rate (i.e. 100%) in females and the occurrence of two male DS cases. Further studies are needed on sex-specific survival rates among ALL cases diagnosed after 1977-78 in population-based cancer registries, which could be improved by more complete collection of data on immunophenotype and validation of data on relapses.