| Abstract: | ![]()
Of 656 patients with ALL (all types) diagnosed in Switzerland during 4 consecutive 4-year periods (1976–1979, 1980–1983, 1984–1987, 1988–1991), 507 were officially registered on protocols (“study” patients) while 149 were not (“nonstudy” patients). The mean incidence of 3.8/100,000 children <15 years/year is higher than reported for other Western countries. Evidence is presented suggesting that the 656 patients represent only approximately 90% of all children with ALL residing in Switzerland, indicating that the true incidence of ALL might even be higher. The fraction of “nonstudy” patients fell from 40% (1976–1979) to 15% (1984–1987). The rate of survival at 4 years of all patients with ALL (“study” and “nonstudy”) increased by 17% during the three consecutive periods 1976–1979, 1980–1983, and 1984–1987. As expected, a higher increase (20%) was observed in “study” patients and a statistically nonsignificant lower one (10%) in “nonstudy” patients. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc. |
