B‐chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in Latvia: Epidemiological aspects

Abstract: As in western Europe and the USA, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) in Latvia is the most prevalent type of leukaemia. A total of 1509 newly diagnosed cases of B‐cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia entered the study, 440 of whom were followed up at the Latvian Haematology Centre. The main peculiarities of the study were: 1) the higher incidence of the disease in Latvia as compared with other regions of the former USSR and with western countries, 2) a lower male‐to‐female ratio than in most other countries and 3) a higher morbidity among the Latvian population in comparison with the Russian. A positive correlation between the disease stage and survival was confirmed, but no precise individual prognosis in an early stage of the disease was possible.