A descriptive epidemiological study of hematopoietic neoplasms in Japan

In 1982, the number of deaths from hematopoietic neoplasms was 5,885 for males and 4,237 for females, which corresponded to about 6% of all malignant neoplasms. The increase in the age-adjusted death rate in the last 10 years was highest for lymphatic leukemia (1.8 times), followed by multiple myeloma (1.7 times), malignant lymphomas (1.3 times) and myelogenous leukemia (1.1 times). In the old-age group, i.e., over 70, the death rate for all types of hematopoietic neoplasms markedly during this period, particularly for multiple myeloma. In children, however, an increase in lymphatic leukemia and a decrease in decrease in myelogenous leukemia were observed. Geographical marked excess in the death rates for malignant lymphomas and lymphatic leukemia in the Kyushu district, especially in the middle- and old-age groups. This may be attributed to the high incidence of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma in the southwestern part of Japan. The age-adjusted death rate for malignant lymphomas was slightly higher in rural areas than in urban areas in males in Kyushu.