Trends in childhood cancer incidence in the U.S. (1992–2004)

Abstract

BACKGROUND. The etiology of most pediatric neoplasms remains elusive. Examination of population-based incidence data provides insight regarding etiology among various demographic groups and may result in new hypotheses. The objective of the current study was to present updated information regarding childhood cancer incidence and trends in the U.S. overall and among demographic subgroups, including Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics, for whom to the authors' knowledge trends have not been previously examined. RESULTS. Between 1992 and 2004, a modest, nonsignificant increase in the averageannual incidence rate (APC, 0.4%; 95% CI, 20.1%-0.8%) was observed for all pediatric cancer diagnoses combined. There was a suggestion of an increase in leukemia (APC, 0.7%; 95% CI, 20.1%-1.5%), and acute lymphoblastic leukemia in particular (APC, 0.8%; 95% CI, 20.4%-1.9%), whereas rates for central nervous system tumors overall were stable (APC, 20.1%; 95% CI, 21.1%-1.0%); 2 joinpoints were observed for astrocytoma. Rate increases were noted for hepatoblastoma (APC, 4.3%; 95% CI, 0.2%-8.7%) and melanoma (APC, 2.8%; 95% CI, 0.5%-5.1%).Differences by demographic group (sex, age, and race/ethnicity) are also described.CONCLUSIONS. The observed trends reinforce an ongoing need for populationbased surveillance and further etiologic studies.

Incidence, Trends, and Survival of Children With Embryonal Tumors

“…The incidence rate for hepatoblastomas in Germany was similar to the rate in the Nordic countries for 1985-2006, 37 10 The increase did not stabilize during the study period. A nonsignificant increase of ∼1% annually was detected in an earlier European study.…”

“…The incidence rate for hepatoblastoma has been shown to have increased in the United States by 4.3% per year between 1992 and 2004 for children and adolescents 0 to 19 years old. 10 We have analyzed the embryonal tumors registered in the German Childhood Cancer Registry (GCCR) from 1991 to 2012 for incidence rates, trends, and survival probabilities. This is the first comprehensive study on pediatric embryonal tumors in Germany.…”

A Systematic Review of Interventions with Siblings of Pediatric Cancer Patients

“…However, the incidence was lower than in countries in North America [2,7] and Europe [17]. The rea- son for this worldwide variability in childhood cancer incidence is unclear.…”

“…Another possible reason for this increase is easy accessibility to hospital and treatment. Early studies in developed countries, based on data from the mid-to late-1970s, show increasing trends in incidence of childhood cancer [23,24]; however, more recent data from the United States (1992-2004) [2], Australia (1983-2006) [4], and Canada (1992-2006) [7] show a plateau in childhood cancer incidence. In this study, the incidence of most cancer subtypes showed an increasing trend; however, the incidence of 'other and unspecified malignant neoplasms' decreased annually (APC, -7.4%).…”

“…Despite dramatic improvements in therapeutics and early detection, cancer remains the second most common cause of childhood death in developed countries [1]. In some developed countries, such as Australia, Ireland, Switzerland, and the United States, childhood cancer incidence rates of 140-160 per mil- [2][3][4]. According to a GLOBOCAN estimation of cancer rates in 2012, leukemia was the most common childhood malignancy worldwide, followed by malignancies of the brain and nervous system, non-Hodgkin lymphomas, renal tumors, and Hodgkin lymphomas.…”