The cancer known as cutaneous T-cell lymphoma became substantially more common in the United States between 1973 and 2002 , according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Dermatology. The rates of the disease vary by race, sex and geographic area.
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma occurs when certain cells of the lymph system (called T lymphocytes) become cancerous and affect the skin. The term covers several types of lymphoma, according to background information in the article. The nationwide rates of the disease were last documented in 1992.
Vincent D. Criscione, A.B., and Martin A. Weinstock, M.D., Ph.D., of the VA Medical Center, Rhode Island Hospital, and Brown University, Providence, R.I., used data from 13 cancer registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute to describe incidence trends in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma from 1973 through 2002.
A total of 4,783 cases were identified in the 30-year period, a rate of 6.4 per million persons and a total of 0.14 percent of all cancers and 3.9 percent of non-Hodgkins lymphomas.
The overall incidence increased each decade, was higher among blacks than whites and among men than women, increased substantially with age, and varied geographically.
The San Francisco registry had the highest rates9.7 per million white individuals and 10.8 per million black individualswhile the Iowa registry had the lowest, with 3.7 per million white individuals and 5.8 per million among blacks.
The geographic differences in incidence are substantial even after controlling for race. Incidence is correlated with high physician density and several indexes of socioeconomic status such as median family income, percentage of the population with a bachelors degree or higher and median home value, the authors write.
These geographic differences in incidence may be related, to some degree, by diffePage: 1 2 Related medicine news :1
. T-cells Developed from Human Embryonic Stem Cells2
. Regulatory T-cells – Protector or Cause of Diseases3
. Lymphomas Link to Hepatitis C4
. No Lymphoma Risk From Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs5
. New Guidelines For Assessing Lymphoma Treatment6
. A Novel Treatment for KSHV-infected Lymphomas7
. Long-term Oral Steroid Therapy Decreases Lymphoma Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis8
. Study Finds Lymphoma Drug Effective Over Long Term9
. Lymphoma Patients Maybe Helped by Adding Radioimmunotherapy to Chemo10
. Risk of Lymphoma Increases With Hepatitis C Virus Infection11
. Experimental treatment for Ebola Virus Shows promising results in mice