Prognosis of black children with acute lymphocytic leukemia.

To assess the racial differences in survival of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia, we analyzed data for 1,675 white and 126 black children, diagnosed from 1955 to 1969. Blacks had a significantly shorter median survival and lower one-year and three-year survival rates than whites. There was substantial variation in racial differences by age. In addition, much of the variation between races seemed to be due to socioeconimic factors rather than strictly racial ones. Identification of the specific factors responsible for the poorer survival of children from lower social classes is sorely needed.