Facts & Figures about Leukemia
Although leukemia often is thought to be a childhood disease, in fact, the disease strikes 10 times as many adults as children. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), about 44,240 new leukemia cases were diagnosed in the United States in 2007. Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is the most frequently-reported form of leukemia in adults, and approximately 13,410 new cases were reported in 2007.
About 41% of all leukemias diagnosed are chronic—an estimated 15,340 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cases and 4,570 chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cases were diagnosed in 2007. Hairy cell leukemia (HCL), a slow-growing lymphocytic cancer, accounts for about 2% of all leukemias.
Like many other types of cancer, chronic leukemias become more common with age. The average age of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is roughly 70 years, and the average age of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients is 40 to 50 years old. By contrast, acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is largely a pediatric (childhood) disease and usually occurs in children younger than 10 years of age.
Worldwide, leukemia generally affects men more often than women. In Western countries, the male:female ratio is highest in CLL patients.
