The new diagnostic tools make it possible to detect more pediatric cancers in the world. With great regional inequalities.
The progression is worrying. Compared to the 1980s, pediatric cancers are 13% more frequent over the period 2001-2010. This is the report drawn up by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), published in the journal The Lancet Oncology. An international estimate that hides heavy inequalities. Because in underprivileged countries, the detection of tumors is lagging behind in children… particularly those of the female sex.
Leukemia in mind
Every year, out of one million children under the age of 15, 140 develop cancer. IARC members looked at 300,000 cases diagnosed during the first decade of the millennium. According to their observations, leukemia remains the most frequently reported cancer. It represents one in three cases. In second and third place are cancers of the central nervous system (20%) and lymphomas (12%).
But before the age of 5, young patients most often suffer from embryonic tumors, which represent a third of diagnoses. This generic term designates cancers of the neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma or even nephroblastoma type, which reproduce the aspect of embryonic development.
The distribution of pediatric cancers according to the age of diagnosis over the period 2001-2010 (Source : The Lancet Oncology)
For the first time, IARC has also looked at cancers that affect adolescents (15-19 years), with around 185 cases per million per year. In this group, lymphomas occur most often (23% of cases), followed by carcinomas and melanomas.
Glaring inequalities
Cancers are diagnosed more, but that doesn’t mean they are more common. As IARC explains, part of the increase is due to improved tracking methods. More precise, they also allow earlier detection. The institution also welcomes the awareness of health professionals, who are now more proactive vis-à-vis risk factors.
However, the trend is not everywhere for improvement. In disadvantaged countries – both financially and in terms of information – equipment is sorely lacking, as is awareness. For example, the incidence of pediatric cancer is slightly higher in boys. This may reflect the higher propensity to see a health professional for a male child.
“It is very important that we improve, on a global scale, the surveillance of pediatric cancers, and that we resolve the regional differences”, points out Dr Tezer Kutluk, pediatric oncologist who participated in the writing of this report.
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