Patterns and temporal trends in the incidence of malignant disease in children: II. Solid tumours of childhood.

Incidence patterns and trends, in children, of individual types of non-reticulo-endothelial solid tumours and of all cancers combined (including leukaemia and lymphoma) were analysed. The study included 3360 cases diagnosed in residents under 15 years of age of the North Western Regional Health Authority area of England during 1954-1988. Log-linear modelling identified significant increases of juvenile astrocytoma (average quinquennial increase 15%) in males, of medulloblastoma (19%) and neuroblastoma (17%) in females, and of non-skin epithelial tumours (18%) overall, and a significant decrease of unspecified malignant neoplasms around 1974 by approximately 80%. The chi 2 trend test identified significant increases in gonadal germ cell tumours and skin cancers, and borderline significant increases in craniopharyngioma and hepatoblastoma. The incidence of all cancers combined increased significantly in those aged under 1 year (8%), 1-4 years (5%) and 10-14 years (8%). Age-sex patterns were similar to those in other Caucasian populations. Studies of incidence trends can provide the basis for investigations of the aetiology of childhood cancers.