INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY OF NEUROBLASTOMA IN CANADA COMPARED WITH OTHER CHILDHOOD CANCERS

The incidence and mortality of neuroblastoma was reviewed in the gener al context of childhood cancer in Canada for the periods 1982-86 and 1 987-91. This was done to complement the preliminary work of the Quebec Neuroblastoma Screening Project that is studying the impact of screen ing North American infants for the preclinical detection of neuroblast oma on population-based mortality. Annual age-standardized incidence r ates for all childhood cancer in Canada appear to have declined slight ly (nonsignificantly) from 155.1 to 150.8 per million, between 1982-86 and 1987-91; the rates for neuroblastoma were stable between the two five-year periods (11.8 per million in 1982-86 and 11.4 per million in 1987-91). With respect to mortality, the age-standardized rates for c hildhood cancer in Canada have shown a declining trend between the fir st and second halves of the decade, from 43.4 to 34.7 per million, whi le the rates for neuroblastoma have not changed (4.4 and 4.2 per milli on), The age-specific distributions of incident cancers indicate that neuroblastoma accounts for the greatest proportion of ail cancers in c hildren less than one year of age, Similarly, neuroblastoma is the lea ding cause of cancer deaths in children aged one to four years. Theore tically, infants less than one year of age could benefit most from eff ective preventive interventions, treatment, and research.