Epidemiologic Survey of Infantile Cancer in Iran based on the Data of the Largest Pediatric Cancer Referral Center (Ali-Asghar Children Hospital), 1996-2005

Abstract

Background: Cancer in infants younger than one year of age represents a unique problem with distinct epidemiological, clinical and genetic characteristics compared with older age groups. No report is yet available from Iran regarding epidemiological and survival rate of cancers diagnosed in this age group. Materials and Methods: The population under study comprised of patients which were diagnosed and admitted to Ali-Asghar hospital between years 1996-2005. In total, 287 infants were included in the retrospective descriptive survey. Patient files were evaluated for age of patient at the time of diagnosis, sex, geographical residence, consanguinity of parents, histological diagnosis, site of cancer involvement, type of therapy, date of last follow-up and cause of death (if applicable). Results: The average age at the time of diagnosis was 7.2 months old. The most frequent malignancy was retinoblastoma (44%), followed by leukemia (19%) and neuroblastoma (10%), with five-year overall survival rates of 77.7%, 41% and 90%, respectively Parents of 40 infants (13.9%) had consanguinity relationships. Conclusions: Although we cannot make any conclusions regarding the incidence of infant cancer subtypes based on this study, survival rates for major types were similar to the developed countries, which signifies strict adherence to standards of care in Ali-Asghar hospital, the main infant cancer care centre in Iran. A Childhood Cancer Registry with high-resolution data collection and also advanced genetic testing is advocated for in-depth analysis of variation in incidence and survival.

Prevalence, clinical features and prognosis of malignant solid tumors in infants: a 14-year study

“…Another institution demonstrated that the top three incidence rate of tumors were RB (44%), leukemia (19%) and NB (10%). [21] Our result showed that RB accounted for 51.8% of all malignant solid tumors in infants, higher than previously reported. The possible reason was that our hospital is specialized in ophthalmology.…”

Overview of Childhood Cancers at a Regional Cancer Centre in North-East India

“…So, a specialized child hood cancer registry has been advocated (Mehdiabadi et al, 2014). Furthermore, this type of analysis shed light on the pattern of care and necessitates the identification of socio-demographic determinants responsible for treatment compliance in childhood cancers.…”

Quality of Life in Pediatric Cancer Patients

“…Globally, the incidence of cancer in children differs from 48 to 70 per million children less than 15 years of age [3]. The incidence of childhood cancer in some developed countries, such as in United State, Ireland, Switzerland, and in Australia has reported with rates of 15.3, 13, 13.5, and 16 per 100,000 children, respectively, however in Asia the data are generally lower [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”