epidemiology of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Last reviewed 01/2018

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is responsible for 12-15% of leukaemia cases (1,2)

  • worldwide incidence is projected to be 1-4.75 per 100,000 people
  • highest incidence of ALL is reported in Italy, the United States (US), Switzerland, and Costa Rica (1)
  • 10,000 new adult cases are diagnosed each year in Europe (2)

The disease is more frequent in men than in women.

  • the sex ratio is around 1.4:1
  • annual incidence for men in European countries was 1.3 per 100,000 while for women it was 0.9 per 100,000

ALL is a disease most commonly affecting the children

  • it accounts for 30% of all cancers and 80% of all leukaemias in childhood (2)
  • almost two thirds of the cases are seen in children aged 2-6 years with slightly more common in boys than in girls
  • peak incidence in boys are observed at aged 4 years while in girls it is around 2 years
  • the disease is less prevalent in adolescents and adults (3)

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