Trends in the incidence of leukaemia in Poland, 1963-90: an epidemiologic study

An epidemiological study of the total population of patients with leukaemia in Poland during the period 1963-90 was performed with special emphasis on time trends. The material stemmed from the Polish National Cancer Registry and was believed to be virtually complete. Of the 38,200 patients, 50% had acute leukaemia, 25% had chronic lymphatic leukaemia, 15% had chronic myeloid leukaemia, and 10% of the patients had undefined lymphatic and myeloid leukaemia. Over the 28-year period, the incidence of leukaemia increased threefold in the age group 70-80+ years, and the increase in the age group 50-69 years was suspected. In the final 11 years of the study acute leukaemia increased in total age groups, mainly among those aged 70-80+ years, whereas the incidence of chronic myeloid leukaemia remained unchanged. The incidence of chronic lymphatic leukaemia increased only in the age group 70-80+ years.