Epidemiology of a Hospital-Based Pediatric Cancer Registry - An Experience at a Major Tertiary Care Center in Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Cancer is a prominent non-communicable disease, responsible for more than 8 million deaths each year worldwide. Globally, 400,000 children and daily 1000 children are diagnosed with cancer. Objective: The current study aims to analyze retrospective childhood cancer registry data from IHHN since 2016 and provide the Age Standardized Incidence Rates (ASIR) for children having different types of malignancies. Method: A retrospective study was conducted through a chart review of the childhood cancer registry, data retrieved from the Indus Paediatric Oncology Database (IPOD) software. Only patients with behavior code/3 for positive malignancy, as defined in the International Classification of Disease for Oncology, 3rd edition (ICD-O-3) were included in the dataset. Results: A total of 4631 children diagnosed with cancer were enrolled, with 2951 (63.7%) males and 1680 (36.3%) females. Overall median age and Interquartile range were 7(3.3-11) years. Leukemia was the predominant cancer in both genders, the second highest being lymphoma. Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors were the third highest cancer in males and soft tissue sarcomas in females. Hepatic tumors are the least common among genders. Conclusion: In conclusion, the childhood cancer registry at the Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN) reported standard quality data including patients mostly from Sindh and Baluchistan along with other provinces and neighboring countries. Moreover, at the national level, there is an essential need for the formulation of an effective childhood cancer registration system by policymakers to determine the true incidence rate and etiology of common cancers.