Abstract
Incidence of childhood cancer in Thailand has been roughly determined by population-based cancer registration. All cancers have been registered retro-and prospectively by Thai Pediatric Oncology Group (TPOG).OBJECTIVE: To find the incidence of childhood cancers in Thailand.METHOD: All Thai children aged < 15 years newly diagnosed with childhood malignancies according to International Childhood Cancer Classification (ICCC)during January 1- December 31, 2003 were registered into a national database. The data were collected through a web-based registry from 20 treatment centers under a standardized format, using double entry method and under internal and external audit process.RESULTS: There were 999 new cancer cases in children; 94.0% was histologically confirmed, 566 (56.7%) were males. The male: female ratio was 1.3:1, 80 (8.0%) were under 1 year, 361 (36.1%) were between 1 and 4 years, 282 (28.2 %) were between 5 and 9 years, and 276 (27.6%) were between 10 and 15 years old. The median age at diagnosis was 5.64 years old. The age standardized rate (ASR) of childhood cancer was 79.7 per million. Leukemia was most common (ASR 42.6, male=282, 28% vs. female=247, 24%) followed by CNS tumors (ASR 7.6, male=53, 5.3% vs. female 49, 4.9%): medulloblastoma and astrocytoma being the most common comprising 3.2% (male = 13, 1.3%; female=19, 1.9% and 2.5% (male= 13, 1.3%; female=12, 1.2%), respectively. Leukemia and CNS tumors constituted 63.1% of pediatric cancers and Lymphoma was third (ASR=6.4, male=68, 6.8% vs. Female 22, 2.2%). The ratio of non-Hodgkin lymphoma to Hodgkin disease was 1.9:1. Neuroblastoma (ASR 4.6, male= 24, 2.4% vs. female= 27, 2.7%) and retinoblastoma (ASR 4.2, male=29, 2.9%; vs female=13, 1.3%) ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, followed by soft tissue malignacies (ASR 3.6, male=30, 3% vs. female= 15, 1.5%), bone tumors, (ASR 2.4, male 21, 2.1% vs female 15, 1.5% ), renal tumors (ASR 2.6, male=15, 1.5% vs. female= 14, 1.4%), liver (ASR 2.4, male= 14, 1.4% vs. female=13, 1.3%), germ cell (ASR 2.3, male= 19, 1.9% vs. female=13, 1.3%) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (ASR 0.3, male 5, 0.5%) Among leukemia, ALL (ASR 31.8, male=213, 21.3%; female=176, 17.6%) outnumbered ANLL (ASR 9.2, male= 57, 5.7%, female=62, 6.2%). Conclusion: The incidence of childhood malignancy in Thailand is lower in comparison to Western and regional countries. Leukemia was the most common cancer in Thai children. Lymphoma is much lower than that of Western countries.
