Not All Populations of Hispanic Children Have an Increased Frequency of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Abstract

The frequency of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been reported with a higher incidence among the populations of Hispanic children. However, in the article by Montes-Rodríguez and colleagues, they found that in the Puerto Rican population, the frequency was below the incidence reported for the U.S. Hispanic pediatric population, but they found that the incidence of ALL had an annual increase of 5%. In other Hispanic pediatric populations during the 1980s, the incidence of ALL was found to be even lower than the general rate in the United States. However, in less than 20 years that incidence had already been exceeded. It is evident that the Hispanic pediatric population is more susceptible to develop ALL than other populations, so it is important to consider that what is happening to the pediatric population of Puerto Rico gives us a great opportunity to identify risk factors that could potentially explain this increase. It is more likely that the risk factors that are capable of causing ALL could be identified in their role in the origin of the disease in populations with high susceptibility, given the greater number of cases of ALL that said factor is causing in that population. See related article by Montes-Rodríguez et al., p. 1030

The genetic risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and its implications for children of Latin American origin

“…This may be analogous to the accelerated increase in ALL incidence in Mexico City in the 1980s ( 27 ), whereby the incidence of ALL was initially even lower than the average incidence in the United States but eventually overtook and subsequently exceeded it by almost 40%. It is possible that this may be occurring in the population of Puerto Rico and that in the near future the incidence of childhood ALL may reach a level higher than that of non-Hispanic Whites and similar to that of Hispanics/Latinos in the United States ( 28 ).…”

“…Considering these trends in Mexico City in the 1980s and currently in Puerto Rico, the high incidence rate of childhood ALL among Hispanics/Latinos may be a relatively recent phenomenon ( 28 ). It is possible that the susceptibility of Hispanics/Latinos to ALL has historically been relatively high but more recent exposures to physical, chemical, or biological factors may have led to an increase in ALL prevalence over time.…”