Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia in the Netherlands

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BlankChronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia in the Netherlands: Trends in incidence,

treatment and survival, 1989-2008.

EC van den Broek, AP Kater, SA van de Schans, HE Karim-Kos, ML Janssen-Heijnen,

WG s, PT Nooijen, JW Coebergh, and EF Posthuma

Eur J Cancer, July 25, 2011; .

Dept. of Research, Comprehensive Cancer Centre South (IKZ), Eindhoven, The

Netherlands.

We present trends in incidence, early treatment and survival of Chronic

Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) between 1989 and 2008, based on population-based

data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Incidence rates were stable at 5.1

per 100,000 person-years for males, but increased from 2.3 to 2.5 for females,

especially for females aged 50-64-years (from 3.6 to 4.3). Patients were less

likely to receive chemotherapy within six months, i.e. from 29% to 24% among

males and from 25% to 21% among females. Five-year relative survival increased

from 61% in 1989-1993 to 70% 2004-2008 for males, and from 71% to 76% for

females. The relative excess risk of dying decreased in time to 0.7 (males) and

0.9 (females) in 2004-2008, reference 1989-1993, and increased with age to 2.9

(males) and 1.8 (females) in patients aged 75-94 years, reference 30-64 years.

The increasing incidence among females aged 50-64 coincided with the

introduction of mass screening for breast cancer, which resulted in a large

group of women under increased surveillance and possibly led to increased

detection of CLL. The increase in survival might be underestimated due to

possible decreased or delayed registration of indolent cases and the retroactive

effect of the introduction of new therapies.

PMID: 21795040