Leukaemia in Papua New Guinea

All cases of leukaemia diagnosed between 1968 and 1976 in the Melanesian population of Papua New Guinea have been analysed, and comparisons made with an earlier series from this country and with findings reported from elsewhere. The major findings were: a low overall incidence (0.79/100,000), absence of a childhood or old age peak in incidence, a relatively lower proportion of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in childhood, more than the expected proportion of cases of chronic granulocytic leukaemia under 20 years of age, and the rarity of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.