NONLYMPHOID GASTROINTESTINAL MALIGNANCIES IN TURKISH CHILDREN

Nonlymphoid gastrointestinal malignancies are not frequently encounter ed malignant tumors of childhood. From 1972 to 1994, at Hacettepe Univ ersity Children's Hospital, there were 6,774 malignant tumors encounte red in patients from birth to age 17. Thirty-five of them (0.5%) origi nated from the gastrointestinal tract. There were five carcinoid tumor s, four pancreas tumors (two were solid-cystic tumors), four APUD-omas , three leiomyosarcomas, one mesothelioma, two carcinomas of the stoma ch and duodenum, and 16 colon and rectum carcinomas (12 were mucin-pro ducing). These rare tumors are discussed according to the characterist ics of the patients, therapy modalities applied, and outcome of the pa tients. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.