Abstract

Introduction: Malignancies in children are second most frequent cause of death after accidents in pediatric age, while leukemias represents 30% of all malignancies of children age. Aim: To present the social and demographic characteristics of patients with a diagnosis of leukemia in Bosnia and Herzegovina during six years period. Patients and Methods: The study included 97 patients (from birth to 18 years old) with diagnosis of acute leukemia. Results: During the aforementioned period at the Pediatric Clinic of University Clinical Centre Sarajevo, 244 patients with the diagnosis of malignancy were treated (99 children were with leukemia (40.6%). Acute leukemia’s were diagnosed in 97 patients and chronic in 2 patients. Out of 97 treated patients with acute leukemia, they almost of all cantons of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brcko District and the Republic Srpska. Patients were usually coming from the Tuzla Canton Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (28 patients). Based on the cytomorphological diagnosis of patients according to the FAB classification, the most was a present ALL-L1 type of acute leukemia’s. Mortality of patients with ALL was 15,3%, while mortality of patient with AML was 36,8%. Conclusion: In Bosnia and Herzegovina, during six year period, the largest number of patients with leukaemia came from Tuzla Canton. The most common age of patients was preschool and school ages. Male sex was dominant in patients with diagnosis AML. According to the FAB classification, ALL-L1 type of acute leukemia was the most common.

Key words: malignancy, leukemia, children.