Epidemiologic study of pediatric malignancies in specialized referral children cancer hospital

Abstract EN

Owing to the fact that the incidence of childhood malignancy has rapidly increased in the past 4 decades, there is increasingly felt need for optimal delivery of health care to this growing, vulnerable population.

With more than 10 million new cases every year, cancer has become one of the most devastating diseases worldwide.

In other words cancer is an important and growing health problem in children and adolescents.

The causes and types of cancer vary in different geographical regions but in most countries, there is hardly a family without cancer victim.

The disease burden is immense, not only for affected individuals but also for their relatives and friends.

At the community level, cancer poses considerable challenges for the health care system in poor and rich countries alike.

Methods: Cross sectional study on the patients who were treated at children's cancer hospital in Egypt in the year 2009.

They were 920 patients diagnosed as pediatric malignant diseases, in the pediatric age group up to the age of 18 years of both sexes.

These patients were subjected to full history taking, clinical examination.

Anthropometric measurements in the form of body weight and height were taken at three settings, first on admission to the hospital, a second one after six months from the first and a third reading after 1 year of the first.

Results: During the year 2009, 920 patients with pediatric malignancy followed up at the hospital with outcome of 768 surviving patients (83.48%) and 152 non-surviving patients (16.52%), p=0.002.

The highest incidence of disease distribution in patients admitted to Children cancer hospital was among ALL (23.4%) followed by brain tumors (13.15%) followed by AML (9.9%).

The least incidence was hepatoblastoma (0.43%).

Consequently the highest incidence of surviving and non-surviving patients was also in ALL (23.05% and 25% respectively).

The study showed that some diseases showed higher incidence in surviving than non-surviving patients as ALL, brain tumors, Hodgkin's lymphoma, neuroblastoma and renal tumors.

Conclusion: Various disease occurrence in relation to age group distribution was studied, ALL and brain tumors were at their highest incidence in the age group (6- 10) years (28.28% & 16.67% respectively).

AML was at its highest incidence in the age group>10 years (13.95%).

Similar to AML, bone tumors was at its highest incidence in the age group>10 years (13.49%).

The mean weight and height in the three readings recorded in non-surviving patients was found to be unchanged or slightly increased, while the three readings of mean weight and height in surviving patients showed weight gain and height gain with statistical significance in the third weight and third height.