Childhood Leukaemia in Scotland, 1939–68

Abstract

Data from death certificates of 978 children who died from leukaemia in Scotland before their fifteenth birthday during 1939–68 were analysed. The main findings were the same as those reported for childhood leukaemia in England and Wales and the United States and were as follows: (1) Leukaemia mortality {principally lymphatic leukaemia) increased during the 1940's and 1950's with a slight decline during the 1960's; and (2) Mortality from lymphatic leukaemia rose to a peak at 3 to 4 years of age while mortality from myeloid and monocytic leukaemia was evenly distributed throughout the first 14 years of life. Leukaemia mortality in Scotland was lower than for the majority of countries. During the 1950's the rate was the fifth lowest for males (35 per million) and seventh lowest for females (26 per million) of 25 countries. There was no evidence of an urban-rural gradient or of seasonal variation of onset or mortality or of clustering of cases of leukaemia. Regional variations in leukaemia mortality in Scotland were not significant in contrast to a significant regional variation in leukaemia mortality for adults in Scotland observed by Court Brown et al. (1960).