INCIDENCE AND PREVALENCE OF ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA (ALL) IN KASHMIRI POPULACE (NORTH INDIA)

Background: The most frequent cancer of the childhood is acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). It is the blood and bone marrow cancer affecting white blood cells. It is caused by errors in the DNA in the bone marrow cells. Our goal was to evaluate the prevalence of ALL in Kashmiri populace. Methods: The study in the hindsight was initiated for ALL patients registered between early 2018up to late 2019 to investigate its frequency and prevalence. Results: Overall from 74 ALL patients, based on gender, 44 (59%) were males and 30 (41%) were females. Based on age, 53 (72%) were in the age group of ≤18 years while 21 (28%) were in the age group of >18. Based on immunophenotypes 69 (93%) were of Pre B-cell phenotype, 3 (4%) belonged to T-cell phenotype while 2 (3%) were of mixed phenotype. Based on demography, 10 (14%) were from urban areas while as 64 (86%) were from rural areas of Kashmir region. Conclusions: Although the prevalence of ALL in this region is very high, but gender has no significance while age and dwelling has significance on its overall frequency and significance.