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Dear Sir, Neuroblastoma incidence in south-east FranceIn a recent repor-t, Stiller and Parkin (1 992) reviewed international variations in the incidence of neuroblastoma and pointed out that the highest age-standardized annual rate (ASR) recorded anywhere was observed among the New Zealand Maoris (13.7per million), although this rate was based on a small number of cases (14 patients). I t was considered that the commonest ASRs among white Caucasian populations were in the range 7-12, but the French pediatric registries accounted for 12.9 (56 patients). These data, which were extracted from a monograph published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (Parkin et al., 1988) concerned the years up to 1985. We now confirm that the incidence of neuroblastoma observed by one of the French registries (Provence-Alpes-CBte d'Azur and Cor,sica, which surveys the south-east of France), is up to 13.6permillion (ASR 15.46) for the period 1984-1991, with a total of 90 documented cases (Coste et al., 1992). In our .study, thc relative frequency of neuroblastoma among all tumors is 8,8910, the age at diagnosis was under 1 year for 29% and under 5 years for 87% of cases and the sex ratio was 1.2. We registered a relative excess of cases in 1987 and 1988, with annual A S R increasing up to 19.3. We are today still unable to discern the reasons for such an elevated ASR, which is all the more noteworthy in that no .screening for infant neuroblastomas is operating in our regions. Further studies are under way, witlz the aim of assessing possible genetic or environmental risk factors. Yours sincerely, cancers de I'enfant dans le sud-est de la France. Bull. cpidemiul hebd., 52, 243-246 (1 992).