Incidence and Risk Factors of Acute Leukemias in Armenia: A Population-Based Study

Abstract

Objective: Leukemia represents a serious public health concern as the incidence is increasing worldwide. In this study we aimed to describe the epidemiological profile of acute lymphoblastic (ALL) and myeloid (AML) leukemia, identify disease clusters and find association with possible risk factors. Methods: Data on leukemia cases were provided by the National Institute of Health of the Republic of Armenia for the period of 2012-2018. Age-standardized incidence rate was calculated using Segi World Population. SaTScan purely spatial analysis was applied to find leukemia clusters. To find association between leukemia and agricultural and mining activities and demographic data Poisson regression model was used. Results: During the studied period 259 new cases of ALL and 478 AML were recorded. The agestandardized incidence rate was 1.5 and 1.9 per 100,000 inhabitants with male to female ratio of 0.97 and 1.1 for ALL and AML, respectively. No significant changes in ALL or AML incidence trends were found. For ALL significant cluster encompassing Shirak, Lori, Tavush and Armavir provinces of Armenia was identified, while Kotayk and Ararat was provinces with the highest incidence of AML. We found significant positive association of ALL with crop density, while no elevated risk estimates were found between AML and exposure variables. Conclusion: Altogether, our results suggested that acute leukemias incidence in Armenia follows the pattern described for developing countries.

Risk factors of childhood cancer in Armenia: a case-control study

“…These rates are comparable with the rates in the neighboring country Iran: 48-144 per million person-year [7] and in Europe, in average 137,5 per million person-years [8]. According to the estimates from recent population-based study conducted in Armenia, the cumulative incidence rate of the most common acute leukemias in children is about 15 to 19 per million child population [9]. However, based on data available from Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Armenia (PCBDCA), these estimates seriously underestimate the real rates [10].…”

“…The study questionnaire was developed based on instruments used in similar studies conducted in different countries [9,10], and the items were included after being adapted for the local specificities. The study instrument collected detailed information on demographic characteristics of the child and the parents, family's socioeconomic characteristics and environmental exposures, child's health and mother's pregnancy related factors with the given child.…”

The Apoptotic Property of Nymphaea Caerulea Flower Extract on Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Cell Line, THP-1

“…The major risk factors identified by scientists in a study are agricultural chemicals and electromagnetic fields and therefore in the past 10 years the cases of hematological neoplasms are constantly rising [ 9 ]. Findings on Leukaemia reported by National Institute of Health of the Republic of Armenia within the period of 2012 - 2018 indicated that there were 259 new cases of ALL and 478 AML [ 10 ]. However, the morbidity indicators obtained from the registered incidence of AML was found to be few in numbers in population based study in Kazakhstan [ 11 ].…”