Abstract

Three hundred and thirty seven 337cases of leukemia among Koreans, which are confirmed by hematological examination at the Department of Clinical Pathology, Seoul National at University Hospital from Jan.1957 to Oct.1968, were studied. The results are as followings : 1. The number of leukemia patients seems to be increasing in recent years. 2. The sex ratio of male to female is 2.0:1.0. (Table 2). 3. The age distribution of leukemia cases indicates a relatively high incidence in young age groups (0-9 yrs ; 22%, 10-19 yrs: 20.0%) and low incidence in older age groups (50-59 yrs ; 7.2%, 60 &over 2.8%). 4. Type incidences of leukemias are ; 32.5% in Acute Myelocytic Leukemia, 28.1% in Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia 21.9% in Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia in decreasing order of frequency. The Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia is only 0.6% of total leukemia cases. 5. The mean hemoglobin levels of the leukemia cases are less than 9 gm/dl. in 74% of total cases and more than 12 gm/dl. in 4.9%. Acute Leukemia cases reveal more severe anemia. 6. The total leukocyte counts are between 10.000 to 50.000/mm³ in 35.0% and less than 5, 000/mm³ in 13.0% of total leukemia cases respectively, and more than 100. 000/mm³ in 63% of the Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia cases. 7. Blast forms in initial peripneral blood differential count are less than 10 % in 11.8 % of the total acute myelocytic leukemia cases and 22.0% Acute Lymhocytic Leukemis respectively. 8. The mean values of initial bone marrow differential counts reveal 61.2% of Myeloblasts and promyelocytes in acute myelocytic leukemia, 63.8 % of lymphoblasts and immature lymphocytes in Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and 57.7 % of stab and segmented neutrophils in Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia respectively. 9. Basophils are increased in Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia, (3.0% in bone marrow, 5. 1% in peripheral blood).