[Abdominal malignancies in childhood]

We reviewed epidemiological data and outcome of 134 children with abdominal tumors (AT) among a total of 460 children with solid tumors (ST) seen between 1971-1989. There were no significant differences in ethnic distribution or sex ratio between children with AT and ST. The mean age was younger in those with AT than with ST (4.7 vs 7.2 years). The 3 major histologic AT types were Burkitt lymphoma, Wilms' tumor and neuroblastoma, with a relative increase after 1978 in those with abdominal Burkitt lymphoma. A comparison of our therapeutic results in AT treated before and after 1981 shows significant improvement in the actuarial survival at 5 years: 71.1% of those treated after 1981 were then alive with no evidence of disease, vs only 32.8% of those treated before 1981. Since 1981 the actuarial survival at 5 years in our children with Wilms' tumor and abdominal Burkitt lymphoma is about 80%.