Survival Childhood Cancer in a Paediatric Ward

Abstract

Background: In the world the overall ASR childhood cancer was 141 per million at age 0-14 years. In Algeria the ASR is 96.3 per million [IICC-3] and the rate of paediatric neoplasm among overall cancers was approximately 3%. There is a lack of data on survival childhood cancer. Aim: Describe the survival of 0-14 years old children diagnosed with a cancer in the pediatric ward of University Hospital (UHA). Methods: All cancer cases admitted in pediatric ward of University Hospital of Annaba, in the period between 2014 and 2017 were included. The tumors were classified according to the third edition of the International Classification of Childhood Cancer (ICCC-3). Survival overall and specific rates (according cancer group and age groups) were calculated using Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Among 272 cancer cases included, 56% were boys and 44% were girls. The main cancer groups were: leukemia (36.8%), lymphoma (14.7%), central nervous system tumors (13.6%), nephroblastoma (11.8%), bone tumors (5.9%), sympathetic nervous system tumors (5.1%), soft-tissue sarcomas (5.1%) and others 6.0%. The median survival of overall cancers was 2.7 ± 0.5 years. According the sex, it was 2.7 ± 0.5 years for girls and 2.3 ± 0.6 years for boys ( P > 0.05). According age groups: the median survival was better for children aging more 2 years old (3.0 ± 0.5 years) compared with children less than 2 years old (1.4 ± 0.6 years) and P < 0.05. The median survival of leukemia was 3.0 ± 0.6 years, of lymphoma was 5.9 ± 0.00 years and 1.8 ± 0.0 years for central nervous system tumors. For nephroblastoma 56.7% of cases were in live until 2 years. Conclusion: More efforts must be made to improve medical care and survival childhood cancer.