An epidemiological investigation of leukemia incidence between 2003 and 2007 in Nanjing, China

BACKGROUND: There has been little literature about leukemia epidemiology in Nanjing in recent years. We aimed to explore the incidence rate, gender and age distribution of leukemia in Nanjing using the leukemia database of the city. RESULTS: The average yearly incidence rate of leukemia was 3.68/10(5 )during 2003 - 2007 in Nanjing. There were no significant difference in gender (x(2 )= 3.266, p > 0.05) or seasons (x(2 )= 11.36, p > 0.05). The incidence rate was the highest in group aged 80~ years (18.64/10(5)). AML accounted for approximately 36.8% of all leukemias. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence rate of leukemia, especially in the aged population, was relatively high in Nanjing. Leukemia is the major malignant tumor in children. Therefore, more attention should be paid to leukemia in children and the aged people.