All issues > Volume 10(5); 1967

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1967;10(5):261-268. Published online May 31, 1967.

Clinical Studies on Leukemia in Childhood

Chang Yee Hong¹, Tae Sub Shim¹

¹Dept, of Pediatrics, Seoul National University,Seoul,Korea

Abstract

Ninety cases of leukemia in children, aged 0~14 years, who were admitted Seoul National University Hospital during the period from Jan. 1957 to Dec. 1966, were analysed clinically and hematologically. The incidence of childhood leukemia was about 0.3% among the total patients who visited the hospital during the same period. There were 69 boys and 21 girls (sex ratio, 3.3:1). 44.4% of the cases occured in the age group, 0 to 4 years, 33.3% in the 5 to 9 years, and 22.2%, in the 10 to 14 years with a peak incidence at 4 years of age. The incidence of the various cytological types was as follows： acute lymphocytic 44%, acute myelocytic 31%, acute monocytic 6%, erythroleukemia 4%, chloroma 1%, unclassified acute leukemia 10% and chronic myelogenous leukemia 4%. Most of leukemias were acute form (96%) and high incidence of acute lymphocytic leukemia was noted under 4 years of age. Common chief complaints were pallor (74%), fever (54%), lassitude (46%), hemorrhage or purpura (27%), bone or joint pain (18%) in acute form and abdominal mass or distension in chronic form. Liver was palpated over one finger breath in 60% and spleen was palpated in 51% of the cases. Hemoglobin value below 6g/100 ml was found in 55 cases (65%), 6~9g/100ml, in 21 cases (26 %), 9~12g/100ml in 7 cases (8%) and above 12g/100ml was only in one case. Leukocytosis was noted over two third of ases;marked leukocytosis (above 50,000/mm3) in 23 % of the cases. In 13% of the cases, WBC count was below 5,000/mm.3 In most of the cases, thrombocytes were decreased in number and it related closely to skin petec- hiae and bleeding tendency of mucous membrane； in 49 % of the cases thrombocyte counts were below 50,000/mm3, in 45% between 50,000 and 150,000/mm3, and in only 6% they were above 150,000/mm3. The longest survival was found in the group in which “cyclic” therapy with anti-leukemic drugs 'was given during the last 2 years, although the number of cases is not enough for drawing any conclusion. A review of literature on the leukemia in childhood was made.

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