Prior to 2005, 51% of children in Mexico diagnosed with cancer received no standardized optimal multidisciplinary medical care. A government-subsidized national cancer treatment program was therefore created for these patients and a National Cooperative Childhood Cancer Treatment Group was consequently formed for these patients. Pediatric patients with a proven diagnosis of leukemia, lymphoma or solid tumor and who were registered in the Popular Medical Insurance (PMI) program from January 2007 to December 2010, are described in this report. These patients had been enrolled and registered in one of the 49 nationwide certified medical institutions in Mexico. The national incidence and frequency data for childhood cancers were analyzed for the whole program. At the end of a 4-year study, the analysis revealed that 8,936 children from across Mexico had been diagnosed with cancer. The incidence rate for the PMI patients was 150.3/million/year (2010) for children of 0-18 years. The highest age incidence rate was 51.9 between 0 and 4 years and boys were the predominant group for all types of cancer. The leukemia incidence was 75.3/million/year (2010), and an average frequency of 50.75% throughout the 4 years. The overall mortality rate was measured at 5.4/100,000/year (2010). This study demonstrates a high frequency and incidence of childhood cancer and a beneficial impact of the PMI program over the quality of life in these children.

1 The aim of this pilot study was to investigate if the porphyrinuria produced by arsenic in rodents was present in humans chronically exposed to arsenic via drinking water. 2 The concentrations of uroporphyrin, coproporphyrin and total arsenic in urine were compared between 21 individuals exposed to arsenic in their drinking water (0.390 mg 1-1) and 19 controls exposed to 0.012 mg 1-1. 3 Arsenic-exposed individuals had significantly higher total arsenic concentrations in their urine than the control group. No increase in urinary porphyrin excretion was found in exposed individuals. However, an inversion of the coproporphyrin/uroporphyrin (COPRO/ URO) ratio was observed in most exposed individuals. This inversion was caused both, by a decrease in coproporphyrin excretion and an increase in uroporphyrin excretion. 4 No demonstrable correlations between porphyrin excretion, the COPRO/URO ratio and total arsenic concentration in urine were found in exposed individuals.