Clinical-haematological analysis of 3321 cases of proliferative diseases of the haemopoietic system treated in the Institute of Haematology in the years 1951-1980

The purpose of the study was assessment of the effectiveness of treatment applied in nine proliferative diseases of the haemopoietic system (PDHS) in the years 1951-1980. The effectiveness was determined comparing the mean survival time in each of these diseases in three 10-year-time periods characterised by essential changes in their treatment. Moreover, other factors were studied which may influence the survival time in these diseases. A continuing increase in the survival time correlated with advances in therapy was observed in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), Hodgkin's disease (HD) and multiple myeloma (MM). An indicator of the advances in the treatment of acute leukaemias was also an over fourfold rise in the likelihood of achieving complete remission in the decade 1971-1980 in relation to two preceding decades. On the other hand, no improvement of the effectiveness of treatment was noted in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), polycythaemia vera (PV), myelofibrosis (MF) and non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). The length of the survival time was influenced also considerably by patient's age (survival lower in old age), sex (better results in women) and place of residence of the patient (worse results in patients living in rural areas).