Pediatric cancer mortality: Analyzing early deaths and fatalities in a resource-limited tertiary care context

Children with suspected cancer may succumb to their bad condition shortly after admission, even before a definitive diagnosis can be reached. We aimed to address the issue of delayed presentation and early deaths among children suspected of having cancer. We analyzed also the types and causes of mortalities across different tumor types.

A retrospective review of reports from newly admitted patients between 2006 and 2010 at the pediatric oncology department of the South Egypt Cancer Institute (SECI) was done. Parameters included age, gender, diagnosis, symptoms, the interval between initial symptoms and the first visit to SECI, the duration from admission to death, and the cause of death.

Among the 502 patients with confirmed malignancies, 238 (47.4%) succumbed. Causes of death were predominantly treatment-related mortalities (TRM) (66%). Mortalities within hematological malignancies were mainly TRM (81%), whereas solid tumors were primarily disease-related (70%), p <0.0001. The leading causes of TRM was infection (60%). About 5% of patients experienced early death within 48 hours after presenting to SECI. The mean duration from initial symptoms to the first SECI visit was 67 days, and the period from admission to death averaged 27 hours. Common initial symptoms included abdominal swelling (29.6%), or fever (26%). The leading causes of death were respiratory failure (29.6%), tumor lysis syndrome (22%), or septicemia (22%).

Delayed presentation leading to early deaths poses a significant obstacle to the successful treatment of childhood cancers. Early diagnosis and improved supportive care are essential to enhancing the overall survival, particularly in patients with hematologigical malignancies.