Childhood cancer: epidemiology in the pediatric oncology department of a university hospital center in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Abstract

Cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children under the age of 15 years worldwide. To contribute to better knowledge of childhood cancers in Africa. To determine the causes of pediatric cancers and compare them with the results of a previous study and with data available for sub-Saharan Africa. This observational, descriptive study of the data recorded from 2007 to 2015 in the pediatric oncology unit of the University Hospital Center of Treichville in Abidjan analyzes the general and the age- and sex-specific proportions of children under the age of 15 years with neoplasia according to the International Classification of Childhood Cancer, 3rd edition (ICCC.3). This study includes 863 new cases. The sex ratio (M/F) was 1.4, and the mean age 7 years (range: 3 months to 14 years 9 months). The neoplasia rate peaked in the group aged 5-9 years (38.6 %). The most common cancers were: lymphomas (44 %), retinoblastoma (11.7 %), renal tumors (10.1 %), leukemias (6.3 %), and soft tissue sarcomas (5, 9 %). Burkitt lymphoma (85.3 %) and nephroblastoma (90.8 %) were the dominant histological type of lymphoma and renal tumors. This study shows an increase in the annual number of new cases, and an epidemiology close to that reported in other centers in sub-Saharan Africa.