The causes of CLL extended

The incidence of CLL in Taiwan is increasing. The incidence of CLL has always been recognized as 10 times as great among Caucasians compared to that of East Asians. However, a paper in Blood
The incidence of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in Taiwan, 1986-2005: a distinct increasing trend with birth-cohort effect
Shang-Ju Wu, Shang-Yi Huang, Chien-Ting Lin, Yu-Jr Lin, Chee-Jen Chang and Hwei-Fang Tien Blood. 2010;116:4430-4435
reports a drastically increasing trend. The epidemiologic data of CLL for Taiwanese and Caucasian Americans during 1986 to 2005 were obtained from the Taiwan SEER database. The age-adjusted incidence rate of CLL for Taiwanese was continuously increasing during the 20-year period while that for Caucasian Americans remained
steady. A much stronger birth cohort effect was identified for Taiwanese but not for Caucasian Americans. This effect corresponded to the westernization of lifestyle in Taiwan since 1960. They concluded that, in addition to the ethnic difference of incidence, there is distinct increasing incidence trend of CLL in Taiwan. The strong birth-cohort effect underlying this increasing trend indicates that lifestyles and environmental factors may play a role in the development of CLL for Taiwanese.