Distribution of childhood cancer types using the International Classification of Childhood Cancer, third edition classification in a tertiary hospital in northwest Mexico.

BACKGROUND

In Mexico, childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children between 5 and 14 years of age, and the sixth leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age. In addition, it represents almost 70% of the total cancer burden in the pediatric population. It comprises a heterogeneous group of malignancies with different clinical patterns, etiologies, therapeutic options, and survival prognoses.

METHODS

Descriptive cross-sectional study that included confirmed cases of childhood cancer in patients between 1 and 18 years of age, diagnosed with hematolymphoid neoplasms and solid tumors. The study was carried out in a third-level hospital of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social UMAE N71, located in northwest Mexico, during the year 2024. The International Classification of Childhood Cancer, third edition (ICCC-3), was used for the analysis and classification of cases.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 8 years, with a distribution of 40.4% in females and 59.5% in males. Leukemia was the most common pediatric cancer, with acute lymphoblastic leukemia standing out in 45% of cases. This was followed by solid tumors in the central nervous system (CNS), representing 20.2%, the most frequent being astrocytomas, ependymomas, and other types of gliomas.

CONCLUSIONS

Leukemias and CNS tumors were identified as the most frequent types of childhood cancer in the northwestern region of Mexico. The use of the classification (ICCC-3) represents a fundamental tool for the standardization of diagnosis and epidemiological analysis of childhood cancer.