INCIDENCE OF CHILDHOOD-CANCER IN CUBA (1986-1990)

Cancer is an infrequent disease in childhood. However, it is responsib le for 13.06% of child deaths between 1 and 14 years in Cuba. The aim of our work was to describe the incidence of childhood cancer in the p eriod 1986 to 1990 using data reported to the National Cancer Registry (NCR) of Cuba. All cancer cases between 0 and 14 years of age reporte d to the NCR in the period 1986 to 1990, were included. The cases were classified histologically, by age and gender. Average age-specific an d age-standardized rates were calculated; 1428 children were registere d, an average of 286 each year, with a mean annual rate of 117.8 per m illion. The world-population standardized rate was 120.7 and the male- to-female ratio was 0.98. Leukaemias, lymphomas and malignant tumours of the central nervous system were the most common childhood neoplasm groups. The majority of leukaemias were acute lymphoblastic leukaemias (ALL), and the incidence peak extended until 6 years of age. The firs t peak of incidence of Hodgkin's disease is found in older age-groups. Burkitt's lymphoma showed a male-to-female ratio of 0.44. Most of the hepatic tumours were carcinomas, and only one fourth were hepatoblast omas. In bone tumours, similar rates were observed for osteosarcomas a nd Ewing's sarcoma. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.