Improved survival among children with acute leukemia diagnosed in the 1970s.

Improvements in survival were observed among white children less than 15 years of age diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) between 1973 and 1978 in nine of the areas covered by the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. Significant increases were noted between the 3-year survival rate for children diagnosed in 1973-1975 (59%) and the rate for those diagnosed in 1976-1978 (74%). The 5-year survival rate for children diagnosed with ALL in 1973-1975 was nearly 50%. Survival of female children exceeded that for males, and younger children 1-4 years of age diagnosed with ALL had a better prognosis than older children 5-14 years of age. Both sexes and age groups showed increases in survival between 1973-1975 and 1976-1978. Improvements in survival during these time periods were not observed for children diagnosed with acute granulocytic (myelogenous) leukemia. Between 1973 and 1979, the age-adjusted incidence rate for all childhood leukemias remained fairly constant in the SEER areas, ranging from 3.7 per 100,000 population less than 15 years of age in 1973 to 3.5 per 100,000 in 1979. Reflecting observed improvements in childhood leukemia survival, the corresponding mortality rates fell from 2.2 to 1.7 per 100,000 in this same time period.