§ 60. Mr. Sorensenasked the Minister of Health what is the present increase or decrease in cases of leukaemia compared with five and 10 years ago; what are the variations in locality and in the age of victims of this disease; and what progress has been made towards securing its alleviation or cure.
§ Mr. RobinsonThe best available information relates to deaths. There were 2,830 deaths from leukaemia in 1963, 444 more than in 1958 and 709 more than in 1953. I give below figures for 1963 by age and for different regions of the country.
Methods of treatment continue to improve. No cure has yet been found but new drugs have greatly increased the survival times in acute leukaemia of childhood.
Following are the figures: