Pattern and Survival of Childhood Malignancies: A 10-Year Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: Hematopoietic neoplasms constitute more than 40% of malignancies in children and represent a wide range of disorders, including acute leukemias and lymphomas. Childhood cancer is curable if diagnosed early, and the survival has improved dramatically over the last 20 years due to aggressive combined modality management. Objective: To estimate the proportion of hematologic malignancies, identify patient characteristics, and calculate the overall and event-free survival of childhood malignancies at the Pediatric Oncology Clinic, Ain Shams University Hospital. Methods: A total of 220 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 42 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 65 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and 29 patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL), registered at the Pediatric Oncology Clinic, Ain Shams University Children’s Hospital from January 2005 through December 2014, were included in the study. A checklist adapted from patients’ files contents was filled, and overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were studied. Results: The most common type of hematologic malignancies among children was ALL (61.8%). Regardingpatients with ALL, the mean age at diagnosis was 6.1 ± 3.9 years, and the male : female ratio was 1.2:1. The 10-year OS was 85.3%, and the 10-year EFS was 80.4%. In the AML group, the OS was 78.8%, and the EFS was 74.4%. The OS and EFS of the patients with NHL were 89.1% and 84.6%, respectively. The 10-year OS and EFS for patients with HL were 88.9% and 75.9%, respectively. Conclusion: The survival rates of ALL, AML, and NHL approach universal estimates. The survival rates of patients with HL was lower than international rates, which mandates the application of response-based therapy. The high survival rates of patients with AML was attributed to the definition of risk groups, which led to a more risk-adapted treatment.