Epidemiology of Childhood Leukaemias and Lymphomas, with Special Reference to Ibadan.

Abstract

Summary:  The peak incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in the first and second quinquennia characteristically observed in economically advanced societies of the world is lacking in Ibadan, but an increased occurrence of chloroma-associated variant of acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) is evident. Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) which is only rarely encountered among caucasians of Western Europe and North America is the most common childhood malignancy in Ibadan, with a relative frequency of slightly over 50% of all paediatric tumours. Evidence is presented to show that the reduced incidence of ALL in the first two quinquennia and the increa sed incidence of chloroma-associated AML in Ibadan, probably represent a biologi cal phenomenon resulting from thymo-lymphatic deficiency due to malnutrition and infection in early life. Similarly, the high relative frequency of BL is attributable to high prevalence of acquired immunodeficiency in children of the area.