OBJECTIVE: To compare improvement in survival from 1986 to 2009 for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients 1-14, 15-19 and 20-29 years in Ontario and United States. METHODS: This population-based analysis used data from Ontario Cancer Registry (OCR) and Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER). RESULTS: In OCR, there was steady improvement in survival by period of diagnosis in all three age groups. In SEER, there was no improvement in survival for patients aged 20-29 years. CONCLUSIONS: Survival in Ontario and the United States has improved for patients with ALL aged 1-19 years. However, survival has improved among patients aged 20-29 years only in Ontario.
OBJECTIVE: To compare improvement in survival from 1986 to 2009 for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients 1-14, 15-19 and 20-29 years in Ontario and United States. METHODS: This population-based analysis used data from Ontario Cancer Registry (OCR) and Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER). RESULTS: In OCR, there was steady improvement in survival by period of diagnosis in all three age groups. In SEER, there was no improvement in survival for patients aged 20-29 years. CONCLUSIONS: Survival in Ontario and the United States has improved for patients with ALL aged 1-19 years. However, survival has improved among patients aged 20-29 years only in Ontario.