EPIDEMIOLOGY OF LYMPHOMAS IN CHILDREN RESIDING IN MEXICO-CITY

Background: The aim of this paper is to present the epidemiological ch aracteristics of time, subject and place of lymphomas in children resi ding in Mexico City, Mexico (MC). Methods: The type of study was a ret rospective hospital survey, All records of children with lymphomas reg istered between 1982 and 1991 at the main hospitals that treat childre n with cancer in MC were reviewed, Neoplasms were classified into Hodg kin's disease (HD) and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NonHL), Trend and inci dence by sex, age and area of residence in MC were evaluated. Time of diagnosis, as well as parental occupation and educational level, were registered. Results: A trend was only observed for HD in the total gro up (r:0.62; P = 0.05), In 1991, incidence for HD was 6.12 (rates x 10( 6)) and 3.87 for NonHL, The highest average incidence was found in chi ldren 5-9 years of age (5.40) for HD, acid in the age groups of 1-4 an d 5-9 (3.10 and 3.33, respectively), for NonHL, Incidence was higher a mong boys for both lymphoma categories, but the male-to-female ratio w as much higher in HD. Time of diagnosis, incidence in terms of place o f residence, and parental educational level and occupation also differ ed from one lymphoma category to the other. Conclusion: The epidemiolo gy of HD is different from that of NonHL, both showing a pattern simil ar to that of Latin American children.