TY - JOUR
T1 - Early deaths from childhood cancer
T2 - A report from the Childhood Cancer Registry of Piedmont, Italy, 1967-1998
AU - Pastore, Guido
AU - Viscomi, Silvia
AU - Mosso, Maria Luisa
AU - Maule, Milena Maria
AU - Terracini, Benedetto
AU - Magnani, Corrado
AU - Merletti, Franco
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements The activity of the Childhood Cancer Registry is supported by the Piemonte Region and by the Italian Association for Research on Cancer (AIRC). We are most grateful to Mrs Marinella Nonnato for careful management of the CCRP data and for the follow-up.
PY - 2004/6
Y1 - 2004/6
N2 - The population-based Childhood Cancer Registry of Piedmont (CCRP) has collected data on incidence since 1967. The occurrence of early death (i.e. within 30 days of diagnosis) was investigated in 3006 cases of childhood cancer diagnosed during the period 1967-1998. The proportion of early deaths (178 of the 3006 cases) was analysed by period of diagnosis (three decennial periods), age group, major diagnostic group and hospital category, with univariate statistics and logistic regression. The proportion of children with cancer who died within 1 month of diagnosis was 10.8%, 5.3% and 1.8% for cases diagnosed during 1967-1978, 1979-1988 and 1989-1998, respectively. This trend may reflect earlier diagnosis, improved diagnosis, more effective therapy or more frequent referral to specialised centres. The risk factors for early death were: age <1 year and diffuse disease at diagnosis, diagnosis during 1967-1978, a diagnosis of acute non lymphocytic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, central nervous system tumour or hepatic tumour. Early death was not related to the sex of the child. Care in an extra-regional specialised centre was associated with lower risk of early death. Conclusion: No temporal changes in early mortality were found among children with acute non lymphocytic leukaemia diagnosed in the first, second or third decade of activity of the CCRP, the percentages of children dying within 1 month being 12.8.%, 10.7% and 12.8%, respectively. This pattern clearly differed from the corresponding trend for acute lymphoid leukaemia (6.4%, 2.0%, 0.4%).
AB - The population-based Childhood Cancer Registry of Piedmont (CCRP) has collected data on incidence since 1967. The occurrence of early death (i.e. within 30 days of diagnosis) was investigated in 3006 cases of childhood cancer diagnosed during the period 1967-1998. The proportion of early deaths (178 of the 3006 cases) was analysed by period of diagnosis (three decennial periods), age group, major diagnostic group and hospital category, with univariate statistics and logistic regression. The proportion of children with cancer who died within 1 month of diagnosis was 10.8%, 5.3% and 1.8% for cases diagnosed during 1967-1978, 1979-1988 and 1989-1998, respectively. This trend may reflect earlier diagnosis, improved diagnosis, more effective therapy or more frequent referral to specialised centres. The risk factors for early death were: age <1 year and diffuse disease at diagnosis, diagnosis during 1967-1978, a diagnosis of acute non lymphocytic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, central nervous system tumour or hepatic tumour. Early death was not related to the sex of the child. Care in an extra-regional specialised centre was associated with lower risk of early death. Conclusion: No temporal changes in early mortality were found among children with acute non lymphocytic leukaemia diagnosed in the first, second or third decade of activity of the CCRP, the percentages of children dying within 1 month being 12.8.%, 10.7% and 12.8%, respectively. This pattern clearly differed from the corresponding trend for acute lymphoid leukaemia (6.4%, 2.0%, 0.4%).
KW - Cancer registry
KW - Childhood neoplasm
KW - Mortality
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=2642573495&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00431-004-1425-x
DO - 10.1007/s00431-004-1425-x
M3 - Article
SN - 0340-6199
VL - 163
SP - 313
EP - 319
JO - European Journal of Pediatrics
JF - European Journal of Pediatrics
IS - 6
ER -