Exploring the Malignant Predisposing Factors in Children Referred to Amir Kabir Hospital in Arak, 2011-2016

Abstract

Background and Aim: Cancer is the second cause of death in children under fourteen years old. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology and predisposing factors of childhood cancers. Materials and Methods: This observational-descriptive study was performed on 82 children in the oncology department of Amir-kabir Hospital in Arak who were referred between 2011 and 2016. Data on age, sex, type of malignancy and predisposing factors were carried out by person interviews or patient records and were registered in checklist and analyzed. Ethical Considerations: This study with research ethics code IR.ARAKMU.REC.2.46.87 has been approved by research ethics committee at Arak University of Medical Sciences. Findings: The results showed that 56.1 percentage of patients were aged 0-5 years, 74.1 percentage were urban, 90.2 percentage were alive, 99 percentage were singleton, 92.7 percentage full term, 46.3 percentage of them were the first children and 87.9% of them had birth weight over 2500 g. There was no significant relationship between the delivery method and delivery problems, the sex of the patients, the environmental factors (such as consuming canned food, sausages, insecticide use, drug use during pregnancy and the rate of infectious diseases), However, there was a direct relationship between the increased age of parents and the high socioeconomic level with the risk of cancer. Conclusion: The risk of childhood cancers in Markazi province is more related to genetic factors and the environmental factors causing cancers in children are less involved in this study.

Keywords

• Childhood cancer
• Environment
• Risk factor