Epidemiological Studies of Acute Childhood Leukemia

VARIOUS epidemiological studies of childhood leukemia have been carried out in an attempt to determine whether certain host and environmental factors play a role in the pathogenesis of leukemia.¹⁻⁴The relationship between incidence and socioeconomic background, peak incidence, age at onset, and seasonal variations have been examined, and the results of these studies have shown certain suggestive patterns. The relationship of certain genetic factors has been investigated, and in this regard it is known that the prevalence of leukemia among children with Down's syndrome is many times that expected; but whether other genetic factors play a role is much less obvious. Time and space relationships have also been examined, but statistical interpretations because of arbitrary designations have been inconclusive.³,⁵Most of the studies have focused on one or several of these points but were not part of a more comprehensive survey. In this study an attempt has been