Incidence and survival of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the United States

Abstract

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a curable malignancy in the pediatric population. However, population-level data on its incidence and outcomes among adults is sparse. Using SEER database, we identified 1141 patients aged ≥20 years with pathologically confirmed T-ALL diagnosed between the years 2001 and 2014 and actively followed. Incidence of T-ALL was 0.13 cases/100,000 population with significant variations by age, gender, race, and period. The 5-year overall survival (OS) declined significantly with increasing age (age <40, 51.9%; age 40-59, 37.3%; age 60-79, 19.2%; age ≥80, 0%; p < .001) and varied by race (whites - 45.7%, blacks - 25.1%, others - 40.3%; p < .001). Over time, OS has improved significantly in patients <60 years (2001-2007, 42.8% vs 2008-2014, 53.1%; p = .005), but not in patients older than 60 years (2001-2007, 18% vs 2008-2014, 22.8%; p = .71), highlighting the need for effective and safe treatments in this population.

Keywords: Leukemia; SEER; T-lymphocytic; incidence; survival.