Survival analysis after diagnosis with malignancy of Egyptian adolescent patients: a single-center experience

Adolescents with malignancy represent a unique population in oncology, receiving care in pediatric or adult oncology institutions. Previously, adolescents and young adults (AYAs) had good survival rates; yet in the last few decades, AYAs have shown inferior survival rates compared with children due to the increasingly reported AYA-specific malignancies with poor survival rates. This study evaluates the clinicoepidemiological aspects of adolescent cancer diagnosed in a Pediatric Oncology Unit over a 10-year period, the associated risk factors, and the survival rate.

Retrospective data analysis of patients aged 10 to 19 years diagnosed in the Pediatric Oncology Unit, Children's Hospital Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, during the period from January 1, 2000 to January 1, 2010.

There were 158 patients (20% of total number of patients diagnosed during the same period), 84 male (53.2%) and 74 female (46.8%). Hematological malignancies were the most common (91.8%), with acute lymphoblastic leukemia being the most prevalent malignancy (61.5%), and solid tumors represented 8.2% of the total number of patients. The 5- and 10-year overall survival rates were 45.2% and 40.2%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year event-free survival rates for hematological malignancies were 39.9% and 37.3%, and for solid tumors it was 36.4%. Infection was the main cause of death (50%).

Age-related survival gap exists for adolescent cancer patients compared with children. Further studies are needed to provide evidence about optimal treatment regimens in this age group.