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

Abstract

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.