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Published on: November 11, 2021
A single center experience in 266 patients of infantile malignancies
Umesh Das1, L Appaji, B S Aruna Kumari
1Department of Medical Oncology, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology , Banglore, Karnataka , India.
Insights
Infantile cancers present differently than in older children. In South India, leukemia is the most common infantile malignancy, unlike neuroblastoma seen in Western countries.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Cancer Epidemiology
- Infant Health
Background:
- Infant cancers pose unique diagnostic and management challenges for pediatric oncologists.
- Malignancies in infants exhibit distinct clinical and biological behaviors compared to older children.
- Understanding the profile of infantile cancers is crucial for targeted treatment strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the specific profile of infantile cancers at a tertiary care cancer center in South India.
- To analyze the incidence and types of malignancies in infants (0-1 years).
- To compare the observed cancer distribution in infants with data from older children and Western countries.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of infant patients diagnosed with malignancy.
- Data collected from a tertiary care cancer center in South India between 2003 and 2012.
- Inclusion criteria: infants (0-1 years) presenting with cancer.
Main Results:
- Infants represented 5.79% (266/4588) of pediatric cancer patients.
- Solid tumors were the most frequent (72.56%), followed by leukemias (25.19%).
- Leukemia, particularly Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), was the most common infantile malignancy in this cohort, contrasting with neuroblastoma prevalence in Western studies.
Conclusions:
- The pattern of infantile malignancies differs significantly from that in older children.
- Leukemia is the predominant infantile malignancy in this South Indian cohort.
- Embryonal tumors and solid tumors are highly prevalent in infants, highlighting the need for specialized pediatric oncology care.
Introduction:
The diagnosis and management of cancer in infantile age group is a significant challenge to pediatric oncologists. Malignancies occurring in infants often have different clinical and biological behavior in comparison to older children. This study was performed with an aim to find out the profile of infantile cancers at a tertiary care cancer center in South India.
Methods:
The present study was a retrospective analysis of infants presenting with malignancy between 2003 and 2012 to our center in South India.
Result:
A total of 4588 pediatric patients were registered in the Department of Pediatric Oncology at our institute between 2003 and 2012. Among those, 266 (5.79%) of the patients were infants (0-1 years). There were 65.75% males and 34.25% females. Solid tumors were the most common malignancy in this age group (72.56%). Leukemias were observed in 67 (25.19%) infants. ALL was the most common hematological malignancy (17.29%) followed by AML (5.64%). Common solid tumors in descending orders were neuroblastoma, soft tissue sarcoma, renal tumors, germ cell tumors, retinoblastoma and hepatoblastoma. Thirteen (4.89%) neonates were seen in our study. The most common malignancy in neonates was neuroblastoma.
Conclusion:
The distribution of malignancy in infants is quite different from that which is found in older children. Although neuroblastoma is the most common infantile tumor in western countries, in our study leukemia is the most common infantile malignancy. Embryonal tumors such as neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, retinoblastoma, and hepatoblastoma were more prevalent in infants. Solid tumors were the most common malignancy in infants which is followed by leukemia.
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