Studies on LEUKEMIA

With the purpose to take the statistics of clinical records of leukemia, the author analyzed the total of 242 cases of leukemia admitted in the leading hospitals of the Chugoku-Shikoku District (excluding Hiroshima Prefecture) and obtained the following results.1. The total cases of leukemia can be divided into 88 cases of acute myelogenous leukemia, 70 cases of chronic myelogenous leukemia, 48 cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia, 4 cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 2 cases of erythro-leukemia, 17 cases of monocytic leukemia, 8 cases of unclassified acute leukemia, and one completely unclassified case.2. As for the difference in the incidence by sex, the male occupies 62 per cent of the whole, but 75 per cent of lymphocytic leukemia proving to occupy a far greater proportion of male whereas in monocytic leukemia the female occupies a far greater proportion as much as 53 per cent.3. As for the age distribution those under 25 years of age occupy the majority. According to the types, in the acute leukemia, especially in lymphocytic leukemia the greater part is occupied by younger persons, while in chronic leukemia those in the age range between 35-and 39 years present the peak, and even in the age beyond this range can be found quite many cases. The same also applies to monocytic leukemia.4. No characteristic feature attributable to occupation can be recognized.5. There have been 3 cases (1.3%) showing family history of leukemia and 17 cases (7.0%) showing family history of cancer.6. There are included 5 cases of atomic bomb survivors. As for the anamnestic history there are 6 cases of malaria and 5 cases each of pleurisy and pneumonia.7. When the symptoms at the Onset of the disease such as subjective complaints and somatic symptoms are arranged in the order of the frequency by the types, they are as follows.Initial symptoms: in acute myelogenous leukemia: fever, general malaise, anemia, hemorrhagic tendency; in acute lymphocytic leukemia: fever, general malaise, anemia, the swelling of the lymph nodes, and pain; in chronic myelogenous leukemia: general malaise, the swelling of spleen, anemia, bulging of the abdomen, fever; in monocytic leukemia: fever, general malaise and hemorrhagic tendency.Subjective complaints: In acute myelogenous leukemia: fever, bleeding tendency, anemia, general malaise; in acute lymphocytic leukemia: fever, anemia, swelling of the lymph nodes, general malaise, hemorrhagic tendency; in chronic myelogenous leukemia: tumor in the abdomen, (bulging of the abdomen and swelling of the spleen), general malaise, fever, anemia, pain; in monocytic leukemia: fever, general malaise, bleeding tendency, anemia, and pain.Somatic symptoms: in acute myelogenous leukemia: anemia, fever, general malaise, fatigue, general emaciation; in acute lymphocytic leukemia: anemia, fever, general malaise, fatigue, emaciation; in chronic myelogenous leukemia: anemia, general malaise, fatigue, fever, emaciation: in monocytic leukemia: anemia, fever, general malaise, fatigue and general emaciation.8. Dilatation of lymph nodes and swelling of the spleen can be found in 77.3 per cent and 49.0 per cent respectively of acute myelogenous leukemia: in 93.8 and 66.7 per cent of acute lymphocytic leukemia; in 61.5 and 94.3 per cent of chronic myelogenous leukemia; in 100.00 and 100.0 per cent in chronic lymphocytic leukemia; and in 76.4 and 23.5 per cent of monocytic leukemia, especially the enlargement of the spleen in chronic myelogenous leukemia is marked.9. Hemorrhagic tendency can be observed in 70 per cent of acute myelogenous leukemia and acute lymphocytic leukemia, and in 40-60 per cent of other types.10. Symptoms of the digestive organs are stronger in acute leukemia than in chronic leukemia. In the latter the feeling of bulging abdomen is frequent, while in acute myelogenous leukemia and monocytic leukemia stomatitis and buccal ulcers are more frequently encountered.