Cancer survival among children and adolescents at a state referral hospital in southeastern Brazil

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: to analyze the patient characteristics and evaluate overall survival, survival according to demographic variables, the most common tumor groups and subgroups, the stages of disease, and risk factors after at least 5 years among children and adolescents with cancer who were admitted to a state referral hospital between 2000 and 2005. METHODS: the Kaplan-Meier method was employed to estimate survival. The survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. The Cox regression model was used to estimate the effect of independent variables. RESULTS: a total of 571 new cases were registered. The most frequent cancer groups were leukemia (34%), lymphoma (18%), and central nervous system (CNS) tumors (15%).The overall survival rate was 59%. The risk factors associated with lower survival were an age of more than 4 years or less than 1 year, the presence of CNS tumors, and non-localized disease. CONCLUSION: although this was not a populationbased study, it provides important epidemiological information about a state where population data on childhood and adolescent cancer are scarce and where hospital-based data do not exist. The survival rate found here should serve as a framework for future improvements, helping to guide policymakers focused on pediatric oncology in the state.

Keywords

• Cancer
• Crianca
• Adolescente
• Analise de sobrevida