The prevalence of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies among patients with Down syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Patients with Down syndrome (DS) have a unique genetic and clinical profile that may increase the risk of cancer.

METHODS

A literature search on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane databases was conducted, focusing on studies to investigate the prevalence of solid and hematologic tumors in DS.

RESULTS

Fifteen studies were included, encompassing 62,121 individuals with Down syndrome (DS). The overall prevalence of cancer in DS was 2.02 % (95 % CI: 1.63-2.50 %). The analysis of hematological tumors revealed a prevalence of 1.18 % (95 % CI: 0.86 % - 1.62 %) for leukemia, 0.86 % (95 % CI: 0.73 % - 1.01 %) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and 0.51 % (95 % CI: 0.29 % - 0.90 %) for acute myeloid leukemia. Among solid tumors, testicular cancer had the highest prevalence, at 0.22 % (95 % CI: 0.12 % - 0.43 %).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results highlight the need for targeted screening strategies, prevention strategies and treatment protocols among those with Down syndrome.