The demographic characteristics of childhood cancer: the experience of Ege University

Abstract

The etiological factors of cancer are numerous. The aim of this study is to investigate the demographic factors affecting the epidemiology of cancer such as age, sex, geography, associated anomalies, parental occupations, social and economic status in childhood cancer. Two hundred and fifty-three patients with malignancy were included in this study. Leukemias comprised the largest group among new referrals (32.8%). Central nervous system tumors constituted the second largest group (20.6%) followed by lymphomas in third rank (19.8%) in this study. The peak incidence of Hodgkin's disease occurred in teenagers as in developed countries. One of our patients with neuroblastoma had a cousin with neuroblastoma and 7 of his first and second degree relatives had malignancies. [Turk J Cancer 1995;25(4):155-60]