Incidence of acute leukemia in children of Mexico City; 1982 to 1991.

Objective. To measure the incidence rate and trend of acute leukemia (AL) i n political districts of Mexico City. Material and methods. Descriptive lon gitudinal study conducted at six hospitals that care for nearly 97.5% of al l cancer cases among children in Mexico City. Study data were collected in 1995 and 1996, and were analyzed in 1999, at the National Medical Center "S iglo XXI" Children's Hospital, of the Mexican Institute for Social Security . Calculations of acute leukemia annual incidence rates, standardized rates , and standardized morbidity rates (SMR) with 95% confidence intervals, wer e obtained for each district. Morbidity trends were assessed through averag e change rates. Results. In this study we observed an increasing trend of a cute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) incidence in five districts:Alvaro Obrego n, Cuauhtemoc, Gustavo A. Madero, Iztacalco, and Venustiano Carranza. Acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) showed no significantly statistic increase of incidence in any district. AML did show a significant SMR in Alvaro Obregon district (SMR = 2.91, 95% CI 1.63 - 4.80). Higher SMRs were found in the s outh and southwest areas of the city. Conclusions. Increasing incidence of ALL was observed in five districts of Mexico City. AML incidence was the hi ghest in Alvaro Obregon district.