The epidemiological trend of acute promyelocytic leukemia over past four decades: a population-based analysis

The treatment regimens for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) dramatically changed over time. However, its survival trend, based on a large sample size has not been reported. Patients diagnosed with APL were accessed from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Their incidence and survival trend were evaluated in overall and subgroup levels. The overall incidence of APL increased with an annual percentage change of 5.5% from 1992 to 2006 and remained stable thereafter. In addition, the 5-year relative survival rates of APL improved significantly, from 12.3 to 32.2% to 59.5 to 72.1% over past four decades (p < .0001), sharing similar trend with different subgroups. Importantly, survival disparities exist among races and different socioeconomic status groups, with superior survival in whites and patients in low-poverty regions. Increasing incidence urges for increased awareness of clinicians over diagnosis of APL. In addition, a wider insurance coverage may help balance survival gap.